curing role of underutilised plants at household level (original) (raw)

ABSTRACT The world is precariously dependent on a limited number of food crop species despite its wealth of traditional, locally-adapted underutilized species. In many cases, the underutilised species have a much higher nutrient content than globally known species or varieties, even though they may not be fully suited to conventional production systems. These plants have many advantages like easier to grow and hardy in nature, producing a crop even under adverse soil and climatic conditions. These neglected and underutilized species (NUS) play a crucial role in the food security, income generation and food culture of the rural poor. They are also often more resilient than staple crops, because they are better adapted to grow in marginal areas, with little need for irrigation, pesticides and fertilizers. Yet the lack of attention by mainstream research and development programs means their potential value is under-estimated and under-exploited, with many under threat of disappearance. The belief behind this mode of eating underutilized fruit crops is good for health and acts as a remedy for various ailments like relief of strain muscle, laxative, sedative, herbal hair lotion shampoo for antioxidant, dysentery, diarrhoea, jaundice, cough etc. This could be attributed due to the presence of phytochemical in these minor fruit crops that enhance the power of immunity of human body. The ample presence of these underutilized minor fruit crops and their adaptation in the local climate and thus their expansion in length and breadth of the state can be achieved without much hurdle. Once a systematic scientific intervention is achieved the fullest use of these crops can be launched through value addition. Keywords: Underutilized plants, value added products , disease prevention