WILD EDIBLE LEAFY VEGETABLES OF MONSANG TRIBE MANIPUR STATE

M. Roma Devi & P.K. SinghAssociate Professor, Department of Botany, Kha Manipur

College, Kakching, Manipur & Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Manipur

University, Canchipur.Email: mayanglambamroma@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION

Plants are very useful to us in many items. They are taken as Fibre, dye, household materials, timber, food like vegetable, fresh fruit, spices, beverage etc. and they are used as medicine in different diseases viz., cold, cough, fever, dysentery, hypertension, stomachache, leucorrhoea, diabetics, jaundice etc.

In this paper deals with the wild edible leafy vegetable plants used by the Monsang Tribes of Manipur State. This tribe is one of the 38 recognized tribes of the state. they speak ‘Monsang’ which is a sub-family of Tibeto-Burman language but for communication with different communities of the state, Manipuris language is used.

This study reported 66 plant species belonging to 36 families and 52 genera. Some of these plants have multiuser i.e they are used as medicine to treat some dieases.

METHODOLOGYTraditional and indigenous knowledge on plant resources of

many villages of Monsang Naga tribe is collected orally and as written documents. The plants used by these tribe are observed personally from the village chiefs, healers, old men etc. Local names of different plant varieties found in forest and market are also studied. Market surveys were conducted following the method of Singh et al. (1988). The ethnobatanical survey was taken into consideration with that of Rao and Hajra (1986). Collection of plant specimens were processed in field, identified, documented and made into herbarium specimens as per method of Jain and Rao (1977). The plant specimens were identified by comparing the published literatures of Singh & Arora (1978), Deb (1961a & 1961b) Sinha (1987), Kanjilal et al., (1934-40) & Singh et al., (2004). The herbarium of the plant specimens were deposited in the Ecology and Environmental Science Department, Assam University and Life Sciences Department, Manipur University.

The phytochemical analysis was carried out following the method given by Kapoor et al., 1969.

Table 3.3: Name of the plant taken for biochemical analysis, their families, date & place of collection, condition and parts used

Name of the plants Family Locality (place of collection)

Condition of the plant materials

Parts used

Acmella oleracea (Wall. ex DC.) R.K. Jansen

Apiaceae Tupul Air dried Shoots

Cissus adnata Roxb. Vitaceae Noney Air dried Leaves

Cissus discolor Blume Vitaceae Langthabal-Khoupum

Air dried Leaves

Clerodendrum colebrookianum Walp.

Verbenaceae Chingmeirong Air dried Leaves

Curcuma anguistifolia Roxb.

Zingiberaceae Heibunglok Air dried Flowers

Hedychium greenii Smith Zingiberaceae Monsang Pantha Air dried Rhizome

Litsea cubeba Pers. Lauraceae Japhou Air dried Fruits

Oroxylum indicum Vent. Bignonaceae Japhou Air dried Pods

Pavetta indica L. Rubiaceae Tamenglong Air dried Leaves

Pimpinella rhetsa C.B. Clarke

Apiaceae Monsang Pantha Air dried Whole plants

Zanthoxylum rhetsa (Roxb.) DC

Rutaceae Noney Air dried Leaves

Zehneria scabra (L.) Sonder

Cucurbitaceae Heibunglok Air dried Whole plats

The antimicrobnial test was carried out following the modified filter paper disc method given by Vincet and Vincet (1944).

Table 3.4: Medicinal plants species used for analysis of antibacterial activities.

ID No.

Name of plant species Place /date of collection

Part used

1 Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis Nees

Japhou. 1.4.2009 Leaf

2 Andrographis paniculata Nees

Heibunglok. 5.8.2010 Leaf

3 Vitex trifolia L. Liwa Changning. 16.6 2010

Leaf

4 Potentilla canadensis L. Monsang Pantha. 3.5.2011

Leaf

5 Artemisia nilagirica (C.B. Clarke) Pump.,

Monsang Pantha. 17.10.2010

Leaf

RESULTS

This paper studies 66 wild edible leafy vegetable plants which belong to 36 families and 52 genera. Some of the reported plants are given in the following

Cycas pectinata

Antidesma acidum

Ceratopteris thalictroides

Cissus discolor

Cissus adnata

Aponogeton natan

Plantago erosa

Rhynchotechum ellipticum

Polygonum barbatum

Ardisia colorata

Rhus semialata

Elsholtzia blanda

Gnaphalium leuteo-album

Camellia sinensis

Centella asiatica

Portulaca oleracea

Emilia sonchifolia

Ficus tjakela

Pimpinella hastata

Celtis timorensis

Brassiopsis polycantha

Polygonum perfoliatum

Table 4.3.1: Results of phyto-chemical screening of Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Saponins and Tannins present in the test samples.

Name of plants Plant parts Alkaloids Flavonoids Saponins Tannins

Cissus adnata Roxb. Leaves + + + + + + +

Cissus discolor Blume Leaves + + + + +

Clerodendrum colebrookianum Walp.

Leaves + + + + +

Curcuma anguistifolia Roxb.

Flowers + + _ +

Hedychium greenii Smith.

Rhizomes + + + _ +

Litsea cubeba Pers. Fruits + + + + + + + +

Oroxylum indicum Vent Fruits + + + + + + _ + +

Pavetta indica L. Leaves + + + + + + +

Pimpinella hastate C.B. Clarke

Above ground parts _ + + + +

Zanthoxylum rhetsa (Roxb.) DC

Leaves _ + + + + +

Zehneria scabra (L.) Sonder

Whole plants + + + +

Table 4.4.1: Zone of inhibition formed against the test organisms by the discs containing medicinal plant extracts.

Sl. No.

Test organisms Diameter in zone inhibition in mm

Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis

Andrographis paniculata

Vitex trifolia

Potentilla canadensis

Artemisia nilagirica

1 Salmonella typhi 20.30 8.00 17.00 6.00 10.00

2 Klebseila pneumonia

15.80 7.00 10.00 9.50 12.00

3 Staphylococcus epidermedis

10.50 8.00 10.50 8.00 12.50

4 Bacillus subtilis 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Table 4.4.2: Inhibition zones formed by known antibiotic (i.e. Penicillin, Chloramphenicol, Streptomycin and Tetracyclin) discs against four human pathogens.

Sl. No.

Test organisms Diameter in zone inhibition in mm

Penicillin Chloramphenicol

Streptomycin

Tetracycline

1 Salmonella typhi 18.00 14.00 16.50 7.10

2 Klebseila pneumonia

17.50 16.50 10.50 15.00

3 Staphylococcus epidermedis

24.00 22.00 19.00 20.00

4 Bacillus subtilis 25.00 20.30 15.00 10.00

Thank you