Author(s):

Mohana GS, Manjunatha B and Niranjana Kumara B

Abstract: The Western Ghats is one of the 34 global hotspots of diversity in India and of which one third is in the state of Karnataka. The Ghats is a center of diversity for many agricultural crops and it is estimated that about 500-700 indigenous rice varieties are known to be cultivated here. These varieties warrant in depth studies to conserve and utilize them for the posterity. One of the areas in which these varieties can be fruitfully exploited is their medicinal properties. Though these rice varieties are not branded as medicinal, there is a practice of using local landraces for this purpose. In Uttara Kannada district of the Western Ghats, there is a practice of using “Atikaya” variety for general health promotion and “Karibatta” for skin ailments and in treatment of herpes. In this context, it may be worthwhile to test the potential therapeutic values of these traditional rice varieties. In the present study, in addition to the most commonly grown and consumed local varieties and improved varieties, we have also included medicinal varieties viz., Karigajivili, Karijaddu, Doddabyranellu, Kempusannakki and Sannakki Batta which have strong traditional knowledge indications for their medicinal properties. The cellular anti-oxidant assay (for antioxidant property) and Lymphocyte proliferation assays (for Immune modulation) were carried out. It is evident from the results that some of these varieties have antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties and hence using them on a regular basis would help in health promotion.

Pages: 437-439  |  1563 Views  358 Downloads

Download (411KB)