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.com
Volume 8
Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography
Biodiversity Congress 2018
July 26-27, 2018
July 26-27, 2018 Melbourne, Australia
7
th
International Conference on
Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management
Pathila concept: Ten traditional leafy vegetables from South Indian wild flora
Mini N Vijayan
Carmel College of Arts, Science & Commerce for Women, India
I
ndigenous communities are resourceful in relation to eco-centric knowledge base which is acquired through life experiences in
their struggle for survival. Oral transmission of such treasured lessons will be lost forever if not documented and preserved for the
posterity. The science behind ancient cultures is now being studied with more urgency as the modern world is getting to understand
the need to codify the same. Ethnobotany in part deals with the knowledge about local plants, their uses and their cultural values
and one such study is done in this paper, documenting ten species of leafy vegetables which grow in and around homesteads and
backyards during the monsoon season in Kerala (South India). The book written in Malayalam language by Late Smt. Parvathy
Antherjanam- ‘Antherjanangalude aacharanushtanangal’ (Customary rituals and religious rites observed by women of Brahmin
community, 2002) has helped the author to know the local names of the speciess so that the scientific documentation could be done
of the same. Pathila (Pathu means ten and Ila means leaf) is a group of ten wild plants which come up in abundance effortlessly
in accordance with the torrential southwest monsoons, which are cooked together as a side dish. In this paper, all ten species are
documented, nutritional and medicinal values are reviewed. All of them have great nutritious value and some among them can even
reduce hyperglycemia.
Sauropus androgynus
is an example in this regard. In this era of modern food preferences involving expensive
exotic ingredients, awareness regarding indigenous edible species and their valuable properties which come to the doorsteps of
humanity at no cost, can boost conservation, sustainable utilization and a sustainable economy.
Biography
Mini N Vijayan is an Associate Professor from the Department of Botany, Carmel College for Women, Goa, India. She has a Doctorate degree in Plant Anatomy
and a Postgraduate Diploma in Ecology and Environment. She is passionate about biodiversity concerns and is presently documenting plant diversity in cultural
practices of a specific indigenous community of Indian Peninsula.
vijuminibappatta@gmail.comMini N Vijayan, J Ecosyst Ecogr 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2157-7625-C4-041