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A synoptic review on the traditional uses of gastropods and bivalves (Mollusca) as food and medicines in India

Bulganin Mitra
Emeritus Professor, Department of Zoology, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, West Bengal, India.

Joyjit Ghosh
Visiting faculty, Department of Zoology, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, West Bengal, India.
OrchideID Icon https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8774-9929

Published online: 15th December, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52756/bhietm.2023.e02.007

Keywords: Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK), India, tribes, animals, food, medicine.

Abstract:

Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) is deeply ingrained in numerous places worldwide.   This knowledge system is essential for their overall well-being, promoting sustainable development, and monitoring their cultural vitality.   In India, the literature on ITK, specifically about animals or fauna, is severely lacking and widely dispersed in contrast to the literature on flora.   Traditional Knowledge is a multidisciplinary area of study that has attracted the interest of several experts, including zoologists, chemists, taxonomists, and others.   This communication aims to compile all scientific works on the utilisation of Mollusca as food and medicine by indigenous communities in India.  Present communication reports 38 species (identified & unidentified) under 14 families, 9 orders of 2 classes of molluscan currently used as food and medicines in India.

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The Basic Handbook of Indian Ethnobotany
and Traditional Medicine
Vol. 2

How to Cite
Bulganin Mitra and Joyjit Ghosh (2023). A synoptic review on the traditional uses of gastropods and bivalves (Mollusca) as food and medicines in India. © International Academic Publishing House (IAPH), Mrs. Bhanumati Sarkar, Dr. (Professor) Surjyo Jyoti Biswas, Dr. Alok Chandra Samal & Dr. Akhil Pandey (eds.), The Basic Handbook of Indian Ethnobotany and Traditional Medicine [Volume: 2], pp. 89-97. ISBN: 978-81-962683-5-0.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52756/bhietm.2023.e02.007

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