Assessment Of Functional Food Plants Commonly Used By People Living In Libokemekm District South Gondar Zone Northwest Ethiopia

Functional food can be a natural food or it can contain one or more specific components whichrnhave functional influence on the health and well-being of the consumer. It beneficially affectsrntarget functions beyond its basic nutritional functions. The aim of this study is to assess the mostrncommon functional food plants used in Libo-kemkem district, South Gondar Zone, NorthwestrnEthiopia. The target population consists of inhabitants living in the Yifag kebele indifferent gottirnand the sample population derived from residents aged 40 years registered in the officialrnpopulation census of the Yifag kebele.Data was collected using a structured questioner forrnqualitative data and in depth interview and focus group discussion to collect quantitative data.rnVarious ethnobotanical techniques were used to collect and analyze the data: guided field walkrnand observation, group discussion, preference raking use direct matrix combined with descriptivernstatistical analysis. A total of 34 species belonging to 31genera and 18 families were recorded asrnfunctional food plants. Triticum dicoccum Schübl. And Hordeum vulgare L. stood first in beingrnthe most multipurpose functional food plants followed by Allium sativum L., and Nigella sativarnL. and Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench was the least. Seed was found to be the most frequentlyrnutilized part (36.3 %). Traditional healers use seeds of the functional foods to prepare remediesrnand also recommend them for their functional uses. The most frequently used functional foodrnplants and parts might be the result of long history of intimacy in cultivating as basic foodrnsources. Since there are different varieties of these functional food plants, seed collection andrnpreservation is highly recommended.rnKeywords: Ethnobotany, Functional food plants Food and Medicine, Health, Libo-kemkem

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