ETHNOBOTANICAL DOCUMENTATION OF WILD EDIBLE VEGETABLES OF THE PIR PANJAL REGION, JAMMU AND KASHMIR (UT)-INDIA: TRADITIONAL USES AND ETHNOMEDICINAL SIGNIFICANCE

Abstract

The Pir Panjal region of Jammu and Kashmir supports diverse wild plant resources that are traditionally
collected and consumed as vegetables by rural and mountainous communities. This study documented
wild plants used as vegetables and recorded their associated traditional ethnomedicinal uses through
field surveys, repeated visits, interviews with local inhabitants and traditional knowledge holders, direct
observations, and plant identification using floristic and taxonomic literature. The supplied manuscript
currently enumerates 72 plant entries. Information recorded for each entry included botanical identity,
local or common name, habitat or occurrence, edible plant part, mode of preparation, and reported
traditional medicinal use. Several plants were reported to have dual importance as food and traditional
medicine. The findings highlight the contribution of wild vegetables to local food practices and the
cultural value of associated ethnobotanical knowledge. Because the medicinal uses reported by
informants represent traditional practices rather than experimentally validated therapeutic effects,
further nutritional, phytochemical, pharmacological, toxicological and safety investigations are
required. Documentation and sustainable management of these plant resources and the associated
traditional knowledge are important for their long-term conservation and responsible utilization.