Ethnobotanical and dietary uses of Bamboo unveiled by the tribes and local inhabitants of Chittoor district, West Godavari and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Aim and Objective: To unveil and document the folklore claims and dietary recipes of Bambusa bambos and Dendrocalamus strictus. Materials and methods: The study was intended to examine the 101 tribal individuals like traditional healers, tribal doctors and elder people in the field trips on their regular utilization of different species of Bamboo. Results: The study explored 13 contemporary folklore claims on B. bambos and D. strictus species solicited from various tribal pockets of Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh and dietary recipes from the tribes of West Godavari  and East Godavari  districts, Andhra Pradesh. Conclusion: With this study, it can be concluded that various parts of Bambusa bambos and Dendrocalamus strictus are practiced as conventional drugs to treat different ailments by local tribes and conventional healers from Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. Besides this, the young shoots of Bambusa bambos are a fabulous dietary hotspot for several minerals. This recipe of Bamboo shoots has been in permanence among the tribes of West Godavari and East Godavari  districts for the past several generations. Ayurveda has also validated this fact owing to its therapeutic properties. By all its nutritive potential, it can be determined that it is not only good to the taste receptors but also healthy.