Patterns of wild edible plants consumption of District Swat, Pakistan: Emphasizing the importance of plants in uplifting the quality of life of local residents

Abstract The people of Swat possess vast knowledge of wild food plants and used as dietary component. There is dire need to document such knowledge because these plants can serve as alternate source of energy, nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals in a scenario of global food shortages and ever-increasing health problems. The present research is an endeavor to document such data from the Swat district, Pakistan. For this purpose field surveys were carried out during 2018 to 2022 and various growing localities of the region were visited for data collection from knowledgeable locals using semi-structured questionnaire, oral discussions and personal observations. In addition, the available literature on the area 26 was searched to identify novel food plant species. In all, a total 175 plant species belonging to 64 families were identified. The family Rosaceae contributed maximum plant species (19), followed by Fabaceae (15 spp.), Brassicaceae (12 spp.), 28 Rhamnaceae (9 spp.), Lamiaceae (8 spp.), Asteraceae, and Solanaceae (6 spp. each), Polygonaceae and Moraceae (5 spp. each). Fruit was the most widely used part (43%), followed by the shoot (39%), leaves (13%), seeds (10%), pods (5%), and miscellaneous parts (5%). Most of the plants were eaten as fruit (39%), followed by vegetable (37%); while 33% were used for making sauces, curries, flavoring agents, salads, or eaten in raw form. The current study reflected the role of plants as life-sustainers and life-savers for local communities. This research work is expected to provide basis for future research in nutrition science.