Documentation of indigenous vegetables of the Cordillera [Philippines]

Today, indigenous vegetables are getting recognized as cheap, alternative sources of nutritious food. The Cordillera Region [Philippines] is home to a wide and diverse array of indigenous vegetable species, which have not been throughly explored and documented. This prompted Lirio et al. (BSU) to conduct an inventory of indigenous vegetables and gather information on their nutritive value and utilization in Benguet and Mt. Province from 2004 to 2007. Findings of the study revealed the following: A total of 49 indigenous vegetables were documented from 11 municipalities in Benguet and 4 municipalities in Mt. Province, including Baguio City. Nearly 20% belonged to the family Asteraceae, followed by Solanoceae (10.64%). The rest belonged to Amaranthaceae, Cruciferae, Passifloraceae, Begoniaceae, etc. The most commonly utilized parts as food, aside from the young plant, were young shoots, tops, stalks, flowers, young leaves, bulbs and fruits. These are usually blanched, steamed, sauteed, mixed with legumes, fish and meat, or eaten raw. To a limited extent, these were used as condiment and garnish. The species most widely used as food were Amaranthus spp., Sonchus spp., and Passiflora spp. More than 50% of the species used for food were also utilized by rural communities in the prevention and cure of diabetes, chronic fever, boils, wounds, kidney and liver trouble, hypertension, arthritis, diarrhea, urinary tract infection, scurvy, ulcer, mumps, sore eyes, cough, etc. Some were also used as mouthwash, antiseptic, disinfectant and even antidote for snake bite. Proximate analysis showed that selected indigenous vegetables had higher levels of major food constituents compared with Brassica chinensis, a cash crop which served as control. Highest values for crude moisture content (10.64%) and total carbohydrates (CHO) of 44.92% were noted from Bidens pilosa; total ash content (15.94%) and crude fiber (11.4%) from Sonchus arvensis; crude protein (33.12%) from Solanum negrium; and crude fat (23%) from Amaranthus blitum. Values for B. chinensis were: crude moisture content (9.3%), CHO (32%), and crude fat (0.5%). In terms of vitamin C content, B. pilosa has the highest value of 247.5 mg/100 g followed by S.nigrum (70.22 mg/100 g) and Crassocephalum crepidoidea (66.25 mg/100 g). Vitamin C content of B.chinensis was 33.12 mg/100 g. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) or Dietary Referral Intake (DRI) for Vitamin C set by the Food and Nutrition Board is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. B.pilosa was also a rich source of vitamin A (5,629.75 mg/100 g) followed by Cestrum nocturnum (474.20 mg/100 g) and S. arvensis (411.68 mg/100 g). Vitamin A content of B. chinensis was 396.56 mg/100 g. The recommended RDA for Vitamin A set by the Food and Nutrition Board is 800 mg for women and 1000 mg for men. To increase awareness and enhance utilization of indigenous vegetables, educational campaign, through production of information materials in food preparation, and community participation, through home gardening, are needed. Further studies should focus on varied and better food products using these indigenous vegetables.