Search for new functional foods in the Western Himalayan District of Jammu and Kashmir in India.

Functional foods confer additional health benefits to humans apart from providing nutrients. Wild edible plants are often referred to as "new functional foods" due to the wide variety of benefits offered by them. This study was carried out in Doda District of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The region is rich in plant diversity owing to its geographical attributes including high altitude and diverse climatic conditions. The district is inhabited by multiple ethnic groups and also a few tribes. The local populace being predominantly rural still utilizes wild edible plants which are collected by them from the large forest area of this region. This research was conducted in the study area to ascertain the botanical identification of the wild edible plants being consumed in the region and to identify potential functional foods.

This research was carried out by using standard ethnobotanical methodology. Field trips were conducted during which semi-structured questionnaires were used, and interviews of the local informants were carried out. The plants were collected, and later on their identification was performed. Herbarium sheets were prepared, which were submitted in the Herbarium of the University of Jammu, where each specimen was allotted a specific accession number.

This study revealed the use of 64 wild edible plants In the region for dietary as well as medicinal purposes. Nutritional evaluation of some plants was carried out and information about the nutrients and medicinal importance of these plants was also evaluated from the literature. This research indicated that most of these identified wild edible plants are potential functional foods and can be evaluated further.