Evaluation of ethnobotanical vegetables and herbs in Samut Songkram province

Abstract

The research study was conducted to survey the data, which were related to local vegetables and herbs from government and inhabitants, such as cultivation data, processing data, data from interviewer and data of utilization. Then, local vegetables and herbs were sampling, collected and analyzed for nutritive values. The finding showed that local vegetables and herbs were processed and traded in low amount. There were imported from neighboring provinces, such as Rajaburi and Bangkok. The attitude between government officers and local manufacturers were conflicted by government officers were intended to improve quality of products, therefore, local manufacturers were interested to promote health benefits and product styles. The collected samples were angled gourd (Luffa acutangula Linn.), holly basil (Ocimum sanctum), Seablite (Suaeda maritima), karanda (Carissa carandas Linn.), Tahitian noni leaves and fruits (Morinda citrifolia), Indian camphorweed (Pluchea indica Less.), sea holly (Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl.), blue thunbergia (Thunbergia laurifolia Linn.) and betel pepper (Piper betle Linn.), which were analyzed to determine nutritive values, such as, water content, protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, calcium, beta-carotenes and vitamin C. From the results, we were suggest that some of local vegetables, seablite was possess highly nutritive values for health benefits, which, were ability to processing as functional foods. In addition, Tahitian noni, blue thunbergia and betel pepper are widely distributed in Thailand, which had high nutritive values when grown up in Samut Songkram area. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.