Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge (IJTK)

Revitalizing traditional knowledge and mechanization for Capparis decidua (Kair) cultivation in arid zones: A review for sustainable approach to nutrition and livelihood

2025-08-12T08:34:13+0530

Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew., generally referred to as Kair, is a significant native shrub that can be found growing around barren land regions, wastelands, gochars (local grasslands), orans, and farm boundaries. It has a wide distribution in the land of semi-arid and arid regions of India. This shrub possesses the inherent potential to offer numerous nutritional and health benefits, and enhance the nutritional levels of rural communities. In addition to its numerous advantages and copious stores of vital nutrients, this species is not currently produced for commercial purposes. Unfortunately, compared to other exotic fruit produces, research efforts focusing on value addition for this fruit are significantly lacking. This review comprehensively examines the species' ecological adaptability, botanical and nutritional profile, therapeutic significance, and current cultivation practices. Focus on mechanized harvesting should be given for fruit quality, quantity and timeliness harvesting. To ensure sustainable farming practices in hot arid regions, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive cultivation tools, package and guidelines specifically tailored for this fruit to boost mechanization. The paper also emphasizes integrating traditional knowledge with scientific research to foster sustainable cultivation, enhance rural livelihoods, and ensure ecological restoration. The findings underscore that with focused mechanization, adaptive research, and policy support, C. decidua can emerge as a cornerstone of desert agroforestry, contributing significantly to nutrition, income, and environmental resilience in resource-scarce regions.

Ethnobotany of medicinal trees from sacred groves of the Imphal valley, Manipur, India

2025-08-05T11:39:34+0530

The expanding urban areas in the Imphal valley have put the fate of the sacred groves or “Umang Lai” managed by the Meitei ethnic group in an uncertain state. In the present field study, the indigenous oral knowledge of ethnomedicinal trees from 10 sacred groves in the valley was documented. In total, 35 ethnomedicinal trees from 29 genera and 20 families were reported. It was observed that the local healers have used the ethnomedicinal trees to treat 37 different ailments from 11 ailment categories. During the field visits, it was observed that most of the sacred groves required immediate intervention measures for restoration so that the biodiversity pockets are preserved and the socio-cultural linkages are safeguarded for future generations.

Exploratory developmental toxicity study of Andrographis paniculata standardized extract in Wistar rats

2025-03-27T14:57:26+0530

The herb Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees has long been integrated into diverse medicinal preparations for its reported analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiviral, and anticancer properties. These remedies are also administered to women of reproductive age, including during pregnancy, though information on fetal safety remains limited. A study on developmental toxicity was undertaken in rats to determine the reproductive safety profile of A. paniculata extract for pregnant women. Pregnant Wistar rats were treated orally with A. paniculata extract suspended in 0.25% carboxymethylcellulose at daily doses of 0, 30, 100, or 300 mg/kg from gestation day 7 to day 17. Daily body weight and feed intake were recorded. On day 20, the rats were euthanized to record dam and fetal parameters. The pups were euthanized and processed for skeletal and visceral examinations as per the standard protocol. The body weight gain and total feed intake of rats during the gestation period were unaffected by the treatments. Dam and fetal parameters did not vary significantly in the treated groups compared with the control group. Skeletal evaluations revealed delayed ossification of the sternebrae and ischium, along with occasional rib number anomalies, particularly in the high-dose group. These findings were interpreted as transient developmental delays rather than true teratogenic outcomes. Overall, the preliminary rat study indicated that A. paniculata extract did not produce teratogenic effects.

The Biochemical profiling of steamed leaf extracts used in traditional food wrapping

2025-06-22T10:41:50+0530

Around the world, various materials have been used for food packaging and wrapping, but natural food wrappers are now gaining popularity due to their perceived safety and the presence of beneficial phytochemicals having health benefits. In this study, comparative biochemical profiling of extracts from steamed leaves was performed, which are traditionally used by tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh for food wrapping during various food preparations through steaming. The leaves studied included Mallotus tetracoccus, Phrynium capitatum, Musa acuminata, Curcuma longa and Amomum subulatum.
A total of eighteen phenolic acids, thirteen flavanoids, eleven organic acids and seven water soluble vitamins were identified in the leaf extract. It was found that, the extract of Mallotus tertracoccus followed by Musa acuminata had highest content of phenolic acids, flavanoids, organic acids and vitamins. Gallic acid (10.79 µg/mL) was recorded highest in Mallotus tertracoccus and caffeic acid (6.29 µg/mL) in Musa acuminata among the phenolic acids. Mallotus tetracoccus was found to contain highest amount of catechin (16.56 µg/mL) and shikimic acid (1217.83 µg/mL) among flavonoids and organic acids, respectively. Vitamin B₃ (niacin), a water-soluble vitamin was also found highest in Mallotus tetracoccus (31.83 ng/mL) followed by Musa acuminata (19.23 ng/mL). Thus, it has been concluded that, steaming or wrapping the warm food with the leaves of Mallotus tertracoccus and Musa acuminata not only provides an alternative for health detrimental synthetic food wrapper but also supplements the food with several health beneficial bio-active compounds.

Sub-acute toxicity study of aqueous extract of Ficus racemosa Linn leaves with evaluation of haematological, biochemical and histopathological parameters on rat

2025-07-02T08:56:01+0530

Sub-acute toxicity study of Ficus racemosa Linn aqueous leaf extract was carried out in this study, a herb which has wide application for treatment of various ailments including hyperglycaemia, gastritis, asthma, dysentery, menorrhagia, glandular enlargement and sore throat. In this study, the first group of rats served as the control group while the other two groups were given F. racemosa L. leaf aqueous extract (FRLAQE) at doses of 100 and 200 mg kg-1 bodyweight, respectively via daily oral gavages for 28 days. Animals of all groups were sacrificed on 29^th day of experimentation. For various haematological and biochemical parameters blood samples were collected to determine haemoglobin, WBC count, RBC count, PCV, ESR, bleeding time, clotting time, blood glucose, serum creatinine, urea, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin. Gross and histological examination of kidney, liver, heart, spleen and brain sections was done by veterinary pathologist. Statistics: ANOVA followed by Tuckey’s HSD procedure were used to analyse the data. Haematological and biochemical study did not show any toxic effects following treatment. Pathologically, the extract was found to be non-toxic as no gross and histopathological abnormalities were observed.

Ethnobotanical knowledge of Artuklu district (Mardin) Türkiye high school students

2025-02-03T16:13:53+0530

Documentation of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge from past to present is valuable in terms of sustainability and use of natural resources and should be done before this rich heritage is lost. Therefore, this study aims to determine the knowledge of students about plants used ethnobotanically in their living environments and to transfer this valuable information to future generations by recording it. The research was conducted with 213 students in a total of 8 high schools, 4 of which are located in the Artuklu district center and 4 high schools in 4 large rural neighborhoods where students from almost every rural neighborhood are educated. Structured and semi-structured face-to-face survey interviews were conducted to collect information about ethnobotanical uses of plants. According to the information received from the high school students, it was determined that 48 taxa belonging to 27 families were used by the local people for medicinal and food purposes. The most frequently used families were Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae and Lamiaceae. The highest usage values (UV) were recorded in Malva neglecta (0.37), Gundelia tournefortii (0.32), Centaurea hyalolepis (0.24), Lepidium draba (0.24) and Portulaca oleracea (0.23). It was observed that students living in the rural areas of the district had more knowledge about wild plants than students living in the district center. However, it was also seen that having knowledge about plants with ethnobotanical use and understanding the importance of this knowledge was not sufficient for the continuity of traditional knowledge.

Genetic diversity assessment of indigenous mango (Mangifera indica L.) germplasm

2025-08-14T09:00:53+0530

The study focused on genetic diversity valuation of mango (Mangifera indica L.) genetic resources available in subtropical conditions of Malihabad region of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Among the 21 indigenous germplasm of Malihabad region assessed; Amin and Munjjar Aamin exhibited superior fruit yield (168.13±13.52 kg/tree and 250.21±15.04 kg/tree, respectively), signifying their adaptableness to the subtropical regions. The TSS (21.15±0.45°B) was higher in Taimuriya, acidity (0.43±0.05%) was in Gol Bhadaiyaa, ascorbic acid (33.9±1.2 mg/100 g) content in Aamin Abdul Ahad Khan, total sugars (18.1±0.14%) in Matka Gola, reducing sugar (6.5±0.52%) in August, total phenol (130.95±24.7 mg/100 g GAE) in Aamin Tehsil, and non-reducing sugar (12.7±0.42%) in Heere Hayat revealing the potential or superiority of indigenous mango germplasm for different biochemical parameters. Correlation studies on fruit physical, biochemical and yield attributes have provided in-depth knowledge and their interrelations. Fruit weight (g) showed a positive Pearson’s correlation coefficient with fruit length (cm), fruit width (cm), fruit yield (kg/tree), pulp percentage (%), TSS (°B), acidity (%) and total sugar contents (%). Fruit yield was also correlated positively with biochemical parameters like total phenol (mg/100 g), acidity (%), ascorbic acid (mg/100 g), and TSS acid ratio. Principal Component Analysis revealed two principal components (PCs); PC-1 elucidated 35.1% variability, while PC-2 explicated 13.4%. This research identified Munjjar Aamin and Aamin as promising type that can be commercially multiplied for large scale cultivation in subtropical regions and further utilized in mango breeding in subtropics for the development of good quality, high yielding and climate-resilient mangos.

Indigenous pest management practices followed in major horticultural crops of Assam, India

2025-06-24T16:05:25+0530

A study was conducted to explore the indigenous practices of pest and disease management used by the farmers in Assam, India to protect the major horticultural crops and to determine the scientific rationality of these identified practices as judged by the scientists. It was conducted in two districts of Assam viz., Nalbari and Jorhat involving 120 farmers and 25 scientists. Out of 23 indigenous practices identified in management of pests in horticultural crops, 7 are highly effective, 6 are moderately effective and 10 are less effective as perceived by the farmers. Out of the 4 mechanical practices, only 1 was rational, but not highly efficient. Likewise, of the 8 plant-origin practices, 5 were found rational and only 2 have high efficacy. No animal origin practice was found to be rational. More than 50% of scientists rated 7 practices as rational which may provide input for the future research. The effective and rational practices can be validated for other agro-climatic conditions in order to popularize them as component of IPM modules. The efficacy of such rational practices may also be judged against the recently invaded exotic pests in horticultural ecosystem.

Revitalizing Mithila painting for sustainable development: A case study of indigenous communities in the Madhubani region, Bihar, India

2025-04-22T11:57:18+0530

India's cultural diversity, evident in its rich history of art and crafts, is rooted in social and religious customs. Indigenous art-forms were created by people using natural resources, forming distinct identity. Aesthetics have influenced people's lives, evident in their surroundings and cultural expression. Mithila painting of Mithila region is a sustainable development model driven by women, preserving cultural heritage, and attracting economic participation. However, preserving the cultural essence of Madhubani art amid socio-economic changes poses challenges due to reduced patronage, lack of innovation, and commercialization, while balancing tradition with modern demands. While marketing and tourism support sustain the art-form, rapid modernization in India's rural population threatens traditional crafts and knowledge. The objectives of this research are to investigate Mithila Paintings as Bihar's heritage art-form and analyze the impact of commercialization, examine the living conditions of artisans in Mithila Region, and explore the impact on Mithila painting due to globalization and changing consumer demands. This research was carried out through literature review, field visit and questionnaire survey. The research highlights the importance of safeguarding and restoring lost knowledge for societal sustainability and economic development, emphasizes the importance of enhancing artisans' skills and promoting the art-form, and to promote the villages of Madhubani District as a tourist destination. It further highlights the need to transform the physical environment of the villages through sustainable economic development and incorporating tradition with aesthetics.

Editorial Board October 2025

2025-10-23T16:22:29+0530

Content October 2025

2025-10-23T16:25:44+0530

Author Index October 2025

2025-10-23T16:28:21+0530

Subject Index October 2025

2025-10-23T16:31:30+0530