Some Ethnomycological Aspects of Mushrooms in Northwestern Himalayas

Ethnomycology is the scientific study of the relationship between humans and fungi from cultural, anthropological, and historical perspectives. It focuses on the traditional knowledge, uses, beliefs, and rituals associated with fungi in various societies and indigenous cultures around the world. The variety, edibility, indigenous knowledge, and distribution of wild edible mushrooms in the Northwestern Himalaya especially in Jammu, Kashmir, (UT) Ladakh (UT), and the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh were investigated from time to time. Macrofungi are an important natural wild bioresource. These wild mushrooms are edible or inedible and poisonous and the edible ones are rich sources of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Due to their desirable, exotic flavor, and nutritional value wild mushrooms are consumed by inhabitants of the respective region. In India, the practice of consumption and medicinal uses of mushrooms are quite common and it dates back to 1700–1100 BC. Wild mushrooms have hallucinogenic, antidiabetic, antiar- thritic, anticancerous, and antiviral properties. The traditional knowledge of tribal people is used to promote health. Ceremonial, religious, and other nonpractical uses of wild fungi are of relatively minor importance. Due to modernization, the traditional knowledge about ethnomycological uses of fungi is at risk as the young generation is neither aware and nor willing to grasp this knowledge.