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Diversity and Multipurpose Uses of Weeds and Their Relatives as Resources in Nepal

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... Some weeds are edible and have been used as traditional vegetables by local farmers in many countries (e.g. Cruz-Garcia and Price 2012; Cruiz-Garcia and Struik 2015;Díaz-Betancourt et al. 1999;dos Santos et al. 2014;Ghimire et al. 2007;Maroyi 2013;Molina et al. 2014;Rapoport et al. 1995). In north-eastern Thailand where wild food plants are an important resource for poor farmers, weeds constitute up to 66% of locally consumed wild vegetables and they may even be kept as seasonal food in home gardens (Cruiz-Garcia and Struik 2015). ...
... Certainly, this is not surprising because a large number of plants regarded as weeds have been reported for their usefulness around the world (e.g. Blanckaert et al. 2007;Cruz-Garcia and Price 2012;Cruiz-Garcia and Struik 2015;Díaz-Betancourt et al. 1999;dos Santos et al. 2014;Ghimire et al. 2007;Huai and Zhang 2006;Jan et al. 2010;Khan et al. 2013;Khattak et al. 2006;Lewu and Afolayan 2009;Maroyi 2013;Molina et al. 2014;Njoroge et al. 2004;Rapoport et al. 1995;Vieyra-Odilon and Vibrans 2001). The very frequent uses of weeds as herbal medicine for basic ailments and food in all three communities studied here clearly demonstrates the importance of weeds in the local traditional pharmacopoeia and as a food resources to rural farmers. ...
Article
Based on concerns that useful weed diversity in agroecosystems as well as associated traditional knowledge may be declining due to agricultural intensification and indiscriminate eradication of weeds, we studied weed diversity and use by local ethnic groups in tea plantations in northern Thailand under different agricultural intensities and landscape complexities, namely agroforestry, organic, and Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) based conventional system. In each system, we sampled five tea plantations using belt-transects of 25 m². Use data were collected through interviews with specialist informants. We recorded 214 weed species (gamma-diversity) of which 66 were useful. Agroforestry system had the highest alpha- and beta-weed diversity, suggesting that the low agricultural intensity and high landscape complexity in this system is associated with higher weed diversity in tea plantations. The common weed species were clearly different in the three systems and only a small fraction (22 species) of widespread weeds was shared among them, resulting in low weed similarity between systems. The 66 useful species of weeds were mostly for food and medicine. Uses of some weeds were shared between systems. Many of the useful weeds are invasive species, suggesting that they are prevalent and inexpensive plant resources for rural people and could represent alternative resources in the future. Because the occurrence of invasive weeds may affect the natural habitats of the native flora, integrating the exploitation of weeds into weed management strategies may reduce the weed population while sustaining agrobiodiversity and conserving associated traditional knowledge in the long term.
... Some weeds are edible and have been used as traditional vegetables by local farmers in many countries (e.g. Cruz-Garcia and Price 2012; Cruiz-Garcia and Struik 2015;Díaz-Betancourt et al. 1999;dos Santos et al. 2014;Ghimire et al. 2007;Maroyi 2013;Molina et al. 2014;Rapoport et al. 1995). In north-eastern Thailand where wild food plants are an important resource for poor farmers, weeds constitute up to 66% of locally consumed wild vegetables and they may even be kept as seasonal food in home gardens (Cruiz-Garcia and Struik 2015). ...
... Certainly, this is not surprising because a large number of plants regarded as weeds have been reported for their usefulness around the world (e.g. Blanckaert et al. 2007;Cruz-Garcia and Price 2012;Cruiz-Garcia and Struik 2015;Díaz-Betancourt et al. 1999;dos Santos et al. 2014;Ghimire et al. 2007;Huai and Zhang 2006;Jan et al. 2010;Khan et al. 2013;Khattak et al. 2006;Lewu and Afolayan 2009;Maroyi 2013;Molina et al. 2014;Njoroge et al. 2004;Rapoport et al. 1995;Vieyra-Odilon and Vibrans 2001). The very frequent uses of weeds as herbal medicine for basic ailments and food in all three communities studied here clearly demonstrates the importance of weeds in the local traditional pharmacopoeia and as a food resources to rural farmers. ...
Article
We studied traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used by Tai Yai people in northern Thailand. We documented traditional medical practices and determined importance among the Tai Yai. This paper reports on knowledge in usage of medicinal plants of the Tai Yai people in northern Thailand. Interviews were conducted in 4 Tai Yai villages in Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai provinces whose inhabitants immigrated from Myanmar at different times. Discussions and interviews were held with 126 key-informants (56 males and 70 females) ranging in age from 16-80 years in three age groups (age 16-40, 41-60, 61-80). We calculated the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) for use category, Use Value index (UV) for use report of plant. We tested differences between the knowledge of different age groups and locations using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). These Tai Yai people used of 141 medicinal plants belonging to 59 families. Of the medicinal plant species, the highest percentage was in the family Euphorbiaceae: Croton acutifolius and Croton roxburghii. The highest number of Informant consensus factor was for metabolic system disorders. Overall, Tai Yai people use medicinal plants to cure many sicknesses such as hypertension, lumbago, wounds, puerperium, kidney disorders, kidney stones, coughs, fevers, hemorrhoids, flatulence and malaria. There were no significant differences in knowledge of plants usage among villages of different ages. In addition, the knowledge of the plants was not significantly different between men and women. However, we found that the younger had less experience with and knowledge of medicinal plants than older people. The result indicates loss of accumulated knowledge of medicinal plants and traditional use. Although, the medicinal plant knowledge was passed from one generation to the next by word of mouth, the detailed documentation of medicinal plants and their use may effectively prevent the knowledge-loss through time.
... The main difference between the two programs is that man breeds plants for yield, while nature breeds plants for survival. All plants are not unwanted weeds however due to human intervention the good qualities of them are outweighed by their undesirable characteristics (Ghimire, et al., 2007). Despite their negative impacts lot of them provide some benefits such as soil stabilization, habitat and feed for wildlife, nectar for bees, medicinal and aesthetic qualities, add organic matter, provide genetic reservoir, human consumption, and provide employment opportunities. ...
Article
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The cultural relationship between people and plant coexists from ancient time. People are dependent on plants for food, medicine, shelter and for fulfilment of various other needs and it will continue as long as humankind exists on earth. Various needs of human are fulfilled by readily and abundantly available plant, many such plants are now best known as weeds. Majority of today's weeds have played a major role in survival of our species. These weeds in certain times were valued and respected for their good deeds. However due to increasing pressure form modern agriculture and unruly science has made these plants to be seen as competing against the very gifts they provide. The wild plants so called weeds need to be recognized and bring awareness among farmers and local people about their nutritional importance and health benefits they can provide to mankind. Hence a review has been made to identify some of the weeds grown in Karnataka and list their importance.
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