Physico-chemical parameters and nutritive value of Pavetta crassicaulis Bremek and Olea dioica Roxb. collected from Western Ghats region of Karnataka

Abstract

Pavetta crassicaulis and Olea dioica are two unexplored medicinal plants used by some of the tribal communities in India, in curing different ailments such as, fever, headache and cancer. The flower of P. crassicaulis and the fruit of O. dioica were eaten by the tribes of Mizo’s, Mizoram and locals of Kerala respectively. The present study was aimed to investigate the physico-chemical, elemental composition and nutritive value of selected medicinal plant parts such as. From this experiment, it is revealed that mainly leaf, stem and root have the highest macro and micronutrients. But, even though the flower of P. crassicaulis and fruit of O. dioica have moderate macro and micronutrients showed excellent nutritive value due to higher crude protein, fat and carbohydrate. From the results, it is concluded that the flower of P. crassicaulis and fruit of O. dioica is loaded with higher crude protein, fat and carbohydrate along with appreciable macro and micronutrients. The study also gave positive feedback on the traditional use of tribes in Mizoram and tribes in Kerala, India.