Traditional Food Grains crops of Himachal Pradesh :

Himachal Pradesh is a hilly State in the northwestern Himalayan region and the physiography ranges from the foothills of the Shiwaliks to the High Hills of the Great Himalayan Range. These distinguishing niches support cultivation of wide variety of cereals, vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, and fruit crops depending upon their ecological adaptation. Traditional agriculture in the past was for subsistence with cereal based farming system where millets and pseudocereals were important components in the State.

Green Revolution was one of the most significant movements in India that promoted introduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. But these intensive cultivation practices led to the environmental degradation through denudation of the soil and pollution of the environment due to pesticides and fertilizers runoff. There is now a great need to revive our old traditional hill agriculture system adopting organic farming in place of the chemical based farming in this mountain State, so that the environmental as well as the nutritional security is ensured. But now the cultivation of these crops is again gaining momentum owing to their nutraceutical superiority in comparison to  fine cerals and considering their importance they should be popularized among the farmers of the State. Some of the tradional crops of state are :

Amarnath :

It is cultivated as a mixed crop or on  bunds and sole crop sporadically in almost all the districts of the State. A. cruentus and A. caudatus are the other species of amaranth which are also grown in Himachal Pradesh.

Ethnobotanical importance: Popped and puffed seeds of amaranth are cooked as rice.

• Popped grains are boiled in milk to prepare kheer or mixed with curd/ buttermilk to prepare raita.  Amaranth preparations are acceptable meals during fasting days in religious ceremonies.

Medicinal importance: Amaranth decreases plasma cholesterol level, stimulates immune system, possess antitumor activity, helps in reducing blood glucose levels, improves hypertension and anaemia.

Arhar daal :

Distribution : Hamirpur, Nurpur (Kangra), Paonta (Sirmaur), Bilaspur, Una, Shimla, Mandi and Solan districts of the State.

Ethnobotanical importance:  Mainly eaten in the form of split grain as daal which makes a rich source of proteins and important amino acids like methionine, lysine and tryptophan.

•  Its young pods, shoots and leaves are edible.
• The leaves are used for mouthwash, tongue sores, gums problems, loose motions and induce uterine contraction.

Medicinal importance:  Arhar is widely used for treating diabetes, sores, skin irritations, hepatitis, measles, jaundice, dysentery, for expelling bladder stones and stabilizing menstrual period.

Bathu :

Distribution : Kinnaur, Lahaul- Spiti, Chamba, Shimla, Solan, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Sirmaur districts of the state.

Ethnobotanical importance:  Fresh leaves are eaten as vegetable and are acceptable spinach substitute.

• Leaves can be used to make delicious raita or used as a stuf our and baked as pancake locally called as bithu-kiroti.
•  Bathu leaves are mixed with other greens and lentils to make daal.  
• Chenopods grains are also roasted, ground and made into porridge. Chenopod seeds are popularly used in preparing a local fermented beverage soora and an alcoholic drink ghanti.

Medicinal importance:

• Bathu is rich in vitamin B, C and E.
• The plant has been traditionally used in liver and skin infections, and as an anthelmintic against roundworms and hookworms.
• The leaves are generally very nutritious but very large quantities can disturb the nervous system and cause gastric pain.

Chana :

Distribution : Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Solan and Sirmaur districts of the State.

Ethnobotanical importance:  Seeds are consumed as whole grain (chhole) or split cotyledons (daal).

•  A traditional dish madrah (a thick, yogurt based gravy) is a popular cuisine of whole grain which is served in community meals.
• (Besan) is one of the major ingredients for various confectionary

Medicinal importance:

• Chickpea possesses high antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer properties.
•  It decreases urinary stones in the kidney with good diuretic property.
•  It helps in the regulation of cardiovascular diseases and digestive disorders.

Shownk, Sawa  :

Distribution : Sirmaur, Shimla and Kinnaur districts of the State.

 Ethnobotanical importance:  

• Dehusked grains are cooked and consumed like rice.  
• Grains are acceptable eatables during religious and ceremonial fasts.
•  Grains are used as a functional food for patients with allergic diseases including atopic dermatitis.

Medicinal importance: Sawa is most effective in reducing blood glucose/ lipid level and recommended for patients with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. It is a rich source of lycine and iso-lycine which improves lipid metabolism, blood formation and skin health.

Ragi :

Distribution : Shimla, Kullu, Sirmaur, Solan, Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Lahaul -Spiti and Kinnaur districts of the State.

Ethnobotanical importance: Sprouted grains are recommended for children and elderly people. Grains are also used to make liquor/beer and its by-product is used as livestock feed. Whole plant is used for making baskets, mats and thatching of roof.

Medicinal importance:

• High dietary  blood lipids and prevents colon cancer.
• It  contains amino acid tryptophan which lowers appetite and helps in keeping weight in control,  It also contains threonine which hinders fat formation in liver and regulates cholesterol.  It is a good source of natural iron and helps in curing anaemia.
•  It is rich in minerals particularly calcium and potassium which helps in strengthening bones and teeth. It is a good food for growing children, lactating mothers and ageing people.

Jau, Barley :

Distribution :  Barley is the most widely adapted crop in the world and marked its presence in all twelve districts of the State including Lahaul-Spiti, however, it is more prevalent in upper temperate areas. A unique landrace of naked barley is cultivated in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.

Ethnobotanical importance: It is used either as a  wheat for making chapati or in preparation of number of traditional delicacies as chilra, bhatooru, marchu, pakk, pinni, thuktal, chhangpa and murjag in different parts of the State. Roasted ground grains (sattu) are eaten with sugar syrup.

•  Locally, barley is fermented to prepare beverages ark/ara in Kinnaur and chhang / lugri in Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur.
• During Navratri puja, barley seedlings are raised for kalash sathapna and each seedling is distributed along with parshad.

 Medicinal importance: Help in treating constipation, cleansing colonic harmful bacteria and help in reducing incidence of colonic cancer. It has good diuretic activity and is useful in treatment of urinary tract infections.

Alsi, Flax, Linseed :

Distribution : Kangra, Mandi, Bilaspur, Chamba, Kullu, Una, Hamirpur, Solan, Shimla and Sirmaur districts of the State.

Ethnobotanical  importance:  

• Alsi laddu and pinni prepared especially during winters are relished delicacies during Makar Sakranti and Lohri festivals
• Flaxseed oil is used as edible oil in some areas and also used for muscle relaxing massage.
• Linseed oil is used for preparation of homemade fungicides (Bordeaux Paint) a protective paste for dressing plant cuts and wounds.
• It is also considered a potential crop for biodiesel and ethanol production.

Medicinal importance:  Flaxseed constitute analgesic, anticancer, antidepressant, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antipyretic, anti-ulcer, laxative, memory enhancing properties, and also affects bone development, hair growth, polycystic ovarian syndrome, cardiovascular diseases and blood pressure.

Kulth, Kulthi :

Distribution : Drought prone areas of Kullu (Ani, Nirmand), Mandi, Chamba (Bhatiyat and Chowari), Kangra, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Una, Sirmaur, Solan, Kinnaur and Shimla districts of the State.

Ethnobotanical importance: It is consumed as a whole seed, as sprouts and as whole meal in India. Horse gram daal is considered good for patients suffering from piles, urinary and kidney troubles.  Soup prepared from horse gram is recommended for patients with bad cold, sore throat, skin disorders and kidney stones.  The seeds are used as a concentrated feed for cattle and horses, which gave legume the name 'horse gram'.

Medicinal importance:  Kulthi is rich in antioxidants and is used as a nutraceutical and food for malnourished populations. Its seed water is also prescribed for treating jaundice.  It is mainly used as a tonic, astringent, diuretic and also recommended in rheumatism, neuralgia and several other diseases. Kulthi also helps in eliminating kidney stones.  Kulthi seeds reduce blood sugar levels, hypercholesterolemia, obesity and are useful in treating amoebic dysentry, bowel hemorrhage and colic pains.

Til, Sinsim, Gingelly, Sesame :

Distribution : Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Shimla, Solan, Kullu, Kangra, Sirmaur, Una, Mandi and Chamba districts of the State.

Ethnobotanical importance:  Til grains are consumed in different preparations during various festivals and ceremonies. During Lohri, sesame is used to prepare til bugga with milk solids (khoa), tilari gutika and til laddoo with sugar syrup or jaggary.  Til is considered most sacred seed and has religious importance and is used in religious ceremonies, festivals and rituals for performing yagnas/ havan.

Medicinal importance:  Sesame seeds contain sesamin and sesamolin known to have a cholesterol lowering effect in humans and to prevent high blood pressure.  Sesame seed oil maintains good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body.

                With the passage of time, cash crops were included in the cropping system which paid very high dividends and vegetable/fruit/ system became more popular, as a result of which the cultivation of the traditional crops declined drastically and the lesser availability of these crops deprived the population from nutritional and livelihood security. Worldwide, only three cereal grains i.e. wheat, rice and maize dominate the food supply accounting for about 75% of all grains produced, which may have risk for humankind in case of total crop failure due to some disease. To promote the traditional crops in the mountain regions and to reduce the detrimentalbecause of the de effects of the green revolution, the hill people are to be made aware of our traditional crops so that the food and the nutritional security is ensured.