Preliminary Checklist of Spices and Culinary Herbs Sold in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Abstract

A survey was undertaken to document the Spices and Culinary herbs that are being sold in markets in Jos, Plateau State. Twenty-one (21) questionnaires were administered to sellers of spices and culinary herbs in seven (7) popular markets in the Jos North and South vicinity. Thirty-seven (37) spices and culinary herbs from Fourteen (14) families were documented. The family that had the highest number of individual representative was Fabaceae. With respect to utilization, the elicited information reveal that the spices and culinary herbs can be used for edible purposes (in cooking food, soups, stew, salads and drinks) or medicinally in the treatment of various ailments. Furthermore, some of the spices and culinary herbs were cultivated within the locality of study while others were purchased from outside the State or the country. Specimens of the spices and culinary herbs were collected and deposited in the herbarium and botanical nursery of the University of Jos, Department of Plant Science and Technology. The checklist and specimens obtained from the current study can serve as a working document for future research on this useful plant group and also in the teaching of economic botany and other related courses.