Underutilized leafy vegetables of India and their pharmaceutical value to provoke human immune system

Abstract

The greens otherwise called as leafy vegetables are rapidly growing vegetables and are ready for market in a short period of time. Traditional underutilized leafy vegetable crops are inexpensive, easy to cook, and packed in phytonutrients including minerals which are essential for the metabolic processes and protection of our body as well. A large number of leaves from perennial trees, aquatic plants and terrestrial annuals are consumed especially in rural areas. Leafy vegetables plays significant role in alleviating micronutrient deficiency. In India, a good number of such underutilized leafy vegetables which are indigenous to India or being cultivated for a long time have proteins, vitamins, dietary fibres, minerals and phytonutrients needed for human beings. These are embedded with nutraceutical as well as phramaceutical components which are essential for human wellbeing. Some of the leafy vegetables are also recognized for their medicinal value too. This review deals with the underutilized leafy vegetables consumed locally in Indian villages; their nutrition and medicinal values. Introduction Today scenario shows that more than 102 crore people (15% of the world population) are undernourished and hungry (Bal., 2003) [6]. About 92.5 crore people do not have enough food to eat. About 70% of the world's (146 million) underweight children under age five years live just 10 countries; with more than 50% in South Asia. Under nutrition contributes to 53% of the 97lakh deaths of children under five each year in developing countries. Vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies in human diet are becoming severe diseases especially in young, pregnant women, and children. Vitamin A deficiency affects 25% of the developing world's pre-schoolers and leads to the death of 1-3 million children each year. Approximately 3 million deaths occur in a year from non-communicable diseases due to inadequate fruit & vegetable intake. The most popular approach in addressing these problem in supplementation and the so called "food based strategies", which include nutrition, education and food fortification (Binita, et al., 1997) [11]. All the above data are a proof of insufficient, nutritious food even in todays' hi-tech world food production to meet malnutrition and hunger of underdeveloped countries. That's why, agriculture and food sectors are manipulating a new idea to meet food and nutritional demand of a country that of utilizing local underutilized plant species of that region. The underutilized plant species represent enormous untapped commodity resources which can help address the increasing demand for food, nutrition, economic and medicinal needs (Abara, 2008) [1] .