Dr. Aruna Uprety- For thousands of years, communities have relied upon their intuition and Mother Nature to keep themselves and their families healthy. Guided by their inner wisdom, our ancestors have been plucking healing plants from nature’s colourful pharmacy – fresh ginger to prevent nausea and calm the stomach, basil to get rid of common cold and beetroots to provide better nutrition to pregnant mothers, among others. The list could be very long.
Scientists have proved that traditional food systems have healthy elements and high nutritional value, which and can contribute in mitigating malnutrition. Chepangs or Prajas, one of the indigenous communities of Nepal, have been gathering their food using their intuitive wisdom and traditional knowledge for years.
Let’s discuss some nutritional aspects of foods that Chepangs have been gathering from the jungles.
Aerial yam, wild edible yam, deltoid yam contain five times more protein that potatoes and sweet potatoes. They are also rich in fibre, micronutrients and chemicals that are used for the treatment of cancer, diabetes and heart diseases. They have been recognised as “health/functional food” — when mixed with breads or flour, their nutritional value and palatability increase.
Wild edible yam is a top quality wild root crop, which is used as a staple food in the Chepang community. It has a cultural and religious importance in Nepali society. During Maghe Sankranti (the first day of Nepali month of Magh), people eat the tubers of various root crops.
Chepang people have been eating nettle for years. Nettle’s jagged leaves that are covered with stinging hairs are a good source of micronutrients, especially iron and fibre. Tender leaves of nettle are cooked with maize flour. Nowadays, diabetic patients have heartily included these stinging leaves into their menu. This is also gaining popularity at high-end hotels, with tourists spending quite a good amount of money on what is called “nettle soup”.
There is a need to inspire the community to use these natural food sources in a proper way to save them from suffering from malnutrition.
