Abstract
The study provides an ethnobotanical survey of aroid plants (family Araceae) used by the Bodo community in the Baksa District, Assam, India in a comprehensive manner. It is situated along the Brahmaputra River and its affluent biodiversity and traditional ecological knowledge is life in the district. In the intensive fieldwork, interview, and specimen collecting, it was able to record the existence of 28 species of aroids in 10 genera both cultivated and wild. Out of them, 9 species are grown for different purposes and 4 species are mostly grown as ornamentals due to the beautiful foliage. Ethnobotanically these species were found to have various uses, 21 of which are used in the traditional medicine, 18 are consumed as food, 15 in the ritual of bathing the elephant to skin irritation, 9 in the use as fodder to pigs. More so, fishing uses 2 species and 2 other time in traditional games of children. Some are versatile in their uses- the Alocasia macrorrhizos and Homalomena aromatica are of popular use in preparing the Napam, a fermented fish delicacy, whereas Colocasia species are widely used and some also find use in the medical field. The remedies are in treatment of skin diseases, cough, wounds, piles, postpartum recovery and animal health care. Methods of harvesting, detoxifying and processing aroids, including roasting in the sun, cooking in acidic fruits such as tomatoes to leech out the irritant calcium oxalate, all form part of local knowledge systems. This study identifies the ecological and cultural value of aroids of the Bodo community and thus stressed the dire situation of the unfavorable environmental and socio-economic condition that threatens the loss of indigenous knowledge of this area.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
The survey recorded 28 aroid species in 10 genera.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“record the existence of 28 species of aroids in 10 genera both cultivated and wild”
Claim · model-written summary
Nine aroid species were grown for different purposes.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“9 species are grown for different purposes”
Claim · model-written summary
Four aroid species were grown mainly as ornamentals.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“4 species are mostly grown as ornamentals due to the beautiful foliage”
Claim · model-written summary
Twenty-one aroid species were used in traditional medicine.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“21 of which are used in the traditional medicine”
Claim · model-written summary
Eighteen aroid species were consumed as food.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“18 are consumed as food”
Claim · model-written summary
Fifteen aroid species were used in elephant bathing for skin irritation.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“15 in the ritual of bathing the elephant to skin irritation”
Claim · model-written summary
Nine aroid species were used as pig fodder.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“9 in the use as fodder to pigs”
Claim · model-written summary
Two aroid species were used for fishing.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“fishing uses 2 species”
Claim · model-written summary
Two aroid species were used in children’s traditional games.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“2 other time in traditional games of children”
Claim · model-written summary
Alocasia macrorrhizos and Homalomena aromatica were popularly used in Napam preparation.
- Taxon
- Alocasia macrorrhizos and Homalomena aromatica
.jpg?width=60)
Alocasia macrorrhizosHomalomena aromaticae0 - Outcome
- popular use in preparing the Napame0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“Alocasia macrorrhizos and Homalomena aromatica are of popular use in preparing the Napam”
Claim · model-written summary
Colocasia species were widely used, including medically.
- Outcome
- widely used and some also find use in the medical fielde0
ColocasiaOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“Colocasia species are widely used and some also find use in the medical field”
Claim · model-written summary
Aroid remedies addressed skin disease, cough, wounds, piles, postpartum recovery, and animal health.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“The remedies are in treatment of skin diseases, cough, wounds, piles, postpartum recovery and animal health care”
Claim · model-written summary
Local aroid processing knowledge included sun roasting and cooking with acidic fruits to remove calcium oxalate.
Verbatim
t0“Ethnobotanical Uses Of Aroids By The Bodo People Of Baksa District, Assam”
e0“Methods of harvesting, detoxifying and processing aroids, including roasting in the sun, cooking in acidic fruits such as tomatoes to leech out the irritant calcium oxalate, all form part of local knowledge systems”