An Ethno Botanical Survey of Wild Edible Plants used by the Bodo Tribe in Baksa District of BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region), Assam

In many parts of the world, tribal people's traditional diets frequently include a variety of wild edible plants. Northeast India is renowned for its tribal area, where the local tribes rely on natural resources to meet their nutritional needs. The Baksa district is one of the 35 districts of Assam State, Northeastern India, that are part of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). The Bodo tribe and other communities make up the majority of the population. Some wild plants have long been used as food and medicine by the Bodo people of this area. The purpose of this study is to record the traditional knowledge of the Baksa District's Bodo tribe regarding the use of edible wild vegetables. A survey was carried out at a few chosen area of Baksa district. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather ethno botanical data from local elders, vegetable dealers and herbalists. 52 wild vegetable species in all, representing 34 families and 28 genera were found and documented. Findings reveal that several of the recorded species possess ethno medicinal value and are traditionally used for treating ailments like anemia, piles, gynecological problems, diabetic, fever, cough, hypertension etc. However, increasing modernization, habitat loss, large exploitation and generational disconnect pose a serious threat to the preservation of this indigenous knowledge. In order to improve their economic standing and ensure sustainable management in the near future, this survey highlights the critical necessity to conserve wild edible plant species and cultivate them on a wide scale.

@article{kamal2026,
  author  = {Kamal Basumatary, Alinda Khaklary, Nabanita Das, Hiramoni Boro, Beauty Basumatary and Seema Khakhalary*},
  title   = {{An Ethno Botanical Survey of Wild Edible Plants used by the Bodo Tribe in Baksa District of BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region), Assam}},
  journal = {Journal of Bioresearch},
  year    = {2026},
  volume  = {5},
  number  = {1},
  pages   = {30-38},
  doi     = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16990512},
}