In Ethiopia, wild edible plants (WEPs) offer a natural food supply for humans to alleviate food insecurity and hunger. Despite the extensive usage of WEPs in Ethiopia, there have been few investigations on their nutritional composition. Our study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity and anti-nutritional factors of the most commonly consumed WEPs in Northeastern Ethiopia. The antioxidant parameters including total phenol, total flavonoid, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay contents and the anti-nutritional parameters including oxalate, phytate and tannin contents of the selected seven WEPs were evaluated using standard food analysis techniques. The total phenol (mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoid (mg QE/100 g) content of WEPs resulted in ranges of 0.79–17.02 and 2.27–7.12, respectively. The antioxidant activity revealed that leaves of Amaranthus hybridus and Rumex nervosus have the highest DPPH and FRAP value, scavenging 50% of free radicals under 50 µg/mL. Non-food values resulted in the respective ranges of 3.37–11.73 mg/100 g oxalate, 16.31–165 µg/100 g phytate and 1.38–5.49 mg/100 g tannin. The investigation indicates that the antioxidant activity of WEPs under research was higher than common crops, and the non-food values were laid in the safe limit, indicating that these might be used for making more healthy and nutritious foods.

The purpose of this study was to carry out an ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological investigation on wild edible plants and their value to households in the Tach Gayint district of South Gondar Zone of northwestern Ethiopia. A total of 175 informants (56 women and 119 males) were interviewed for ethnobotanical data, and 25 of them were key informants. Data collection techniques included semistructured interviews, guided field walks, and focus group discussions. Quantitative analytical tools were employed for ethnobotanical methods including preference ranking and direct matrix ranking techniques to analyse the data. 36 species of wild edible plants have been identified in the study area. Of these plant species, shrubs account for 15 (42%), followed by herbs 13 (36%) and trees 8 (22%). Regarding the edible parts, fruits account for 19 (53%) followed by young shoots, leaves, and flowers, 4 (11%) for each. These plant species are eaten raw (86%) or cooked (14%) and most are collected by younger people for herding cattle. According to the preference ranking analysis, the fruit of Opuntia ficus-indica is the most preferred plant species because its sweet taste. Although Cordia africana, the most commonly used multipurpose wild edible plant species, is mostly exploited due to human activity, activities such as the production of charcoal, the gathering of firewood, the construction of homes, and the use of agricultural tools all played a significant role in the plant’s eventual extinction. In the study area, agricultural expansion was the main cause of putting wild edible plants in danger. It is best to cultivate and manage edible plants in a backyard garden and to perform more research on popular edible plant species.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the nutritional, mineral, and phytochemical analyses of some selected wild edible plants from Tach Gaint District, Northwest Ethiopia. Proximate composition parameters (moisture, ash, crude fibre, crude fat, crude protein, carbohydrate, and energy) were evaluated using the methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, and elemental analysis was performed using the atomic absorption spectroscopy technique. Results from the nutritional analysis show that Erucastrum abyssinicum leaves had the highest crude protein content (17.470.03g/100g), followed by Amaranthus graecizans (14.970.03g/100g). The maximum moisture content (40.80.00g/100g) and ash content (24.700.15g/100g) were reported in the leaves of Amaranthus graecizans. The young shoots of Rumex abyssinicus had the highest crude fat content (14.070.03g/100g) and the highest fibre content (34.700.25g/100g), while the fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica had the highest amount of utilisable carbohydrate (44.40.00g/100g) and the estimated energy value (326.40.00Kcal/100g). Calcium was detected in considerable proportions (754.90.23mg/100g) followed by iron (31.630.03mg/100g) in Urtica simensis leaves and zinc content (3.090.02mg/100g) in young shoots of Rumex abyssinicus. Qualitative phytochemical screening, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, triterpenes, saponins, and tannins were found in the methanolic extract of the plants. The results of this study suggest that the consumption of such nutrient-rich wild edible plants could help add a remarkable amount of nutrient and mineral in the human diet.

Wild edible plants (WEPs) are the natural food source that can help to mitigate food insecurity and improve starvation in low income countries including Ethiopia. Despite the widespread use of WEPs in Ethiopia, studies on the nutritional contents of Ethiopian WEPs are limited. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the nutritional value (proximate, mineral, and vitamin C contents) of the most consumed seven wild edible plants collected from Lasta District, Northeastern Ethiopia. The nutritional parameters including proximate, macro and micronutrients, and also vitamin C contents of the selected seven wild edible plants were evaluated using standard food analysis methods (moisture by dry-oven method, ash by high-temperature incineration in an electric muffle furnace, fat by Soxhlet extraction procedure, protein by Kjeldahl process, minerals by Atomic absorption spectrometer and atomic emission spectrometry and vitamin C by using a spectrophotometer). One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the nutritional content variations of selected WEPs. The proximate composition of the 7 WEPs came in the respective ranges of moisture (6.50–9.77 g/100 g); ash (6.99–26.35 g/100 g); crude protein (13.1–33.63 g/100 g); crude fat (1.08–9.83 g/100 g); crude fiber (6.21–43.77 g/100 g); utilizable carbohydrate (30.11–66.25 g/100 g) and gross energy (213.05–414.80 Kcal/100 g). The mineral composition of WEPs (mg/100 g dry weight) for macronutrients ranged from 25.53–37.99 Na, 56.65–72.79 Mg, 14.40–43.57 K, 44.35–60.14 Ca, and for micronutrients it ranged from 10.51–27.96 Fe, 8.35–23.87 Zn, 14.08–23.20 Cu, and 7.99–19.08 Mn. The vitamin C contents of WEPs (mg/100 g dry weight) ranged from 2.16–70.42 except in Haplocarpha rueppelii leaves in which its vitamin C content is below the detection limit. The outcome of the investigation indicates that the proximate, mineral and vitamin C contents of the WEPs included in the analysis were higher than those of some common crops (sorghum, rice, wheat, barley and maize), indicating their nutritional contribution to the human diet in the studied area. These wild food sources make up a good part of the traditional subsistence system of the people of Lasta District alongside their common food crops and other food sources.

In agriculture, barley holds significant importance as a vital crop with multiple uses. It provides a variety of advantages, including weed suppression, erosion management, nutrient recycling, and improved soil structure. The nutritional and functional composition of barley varieties’ samples were analyzed using AOAC methods. The moisture content of the samples ranged from 7.3% to 12.8%, while the ash content varied from 0.5% to 13%. The crude fiber content ranged from 0.5% to 1.5%, and the crude protein content ranged from 0.73% to 3.4%. Furthermore, the crude fat content ranged from 0.11% to 0.8%. The carbohydrate content of the samples were found to be between 69.5% and 82.5%, with an energy value ranging from 338.2 to 382.02 kcal/100 g. In terms of mineral content, the samples exhibited varying levels of calcium (310–670 mg/100 g), iron (34.9–65 mg/100 g), zinc (8.9–16 mg/100 g), and magnesium (Mg) (520–1122 mg/100 g). In addition, the range of the total phenolic content was 1.2 to 3.1 mg/100 g, while the range of the total flavonoid content was 0.41 to 0.55 mg/100 g. Therefore, barley, a selenium‐rich food, acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from free radical damage, reducing inflammation, and reducing the risk of chronic illnesses. The highest content of stearic acid (3.4 g/100 g) followed by myristic acid (2.6 g/100 g) were found in barley varieties. Barley amino acids are essential nutrients for various biological processes, muscle repair, immunological system function, neurotransmitter generation, and detoxification.

Afromontane forests are crucial for maintaining plant diversity and reducing climate change. Even though the Jib Godo Natural Forest is subject to anthropogenic impacts such as cutting and farming, it lacks long-term conservation practices. The researchers conducted fieldwork in Jib Godo Natural Forest to investigate the floristic composition and structural analyses of woody plant species in Ethiopia. The vegetation and environmental data were collected from 50 (20 m × 20 m) sample plots established for woody species at every 100 m along seven transect lines and 5 m × 5 m in five subplots for saplings and seedlings using a systematic sampling procedure. In each sample plot, soil samples were obtained from 0–20 cm and mixed to generate a composite sample. A vegetative structural analysis of DBH, height, and stem IVI was computed. There were 65 species of woody plant identified, belonging to 58 genera and 41 families, with 34 species (52.30 percent) being trees, 23 species (35.38 percent) being shrubs, and 8 species (12.30 percent) being lianas. Outside of the sample plot, four other species were identified. Only eleven environmental characteristics were significant at $p$ < 0.05, according to the results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). In conclusion, the distribution of plant communities and the composition of the species depend on altitude and topographic aspects. The forest’s population structure and regeneration condition suggested that the area had experienced forest degradation and severe anthropogenic disturbances; therefore, the conservation of species and sustainable use of forest genetic resources are advocated as a result of this study’s findings.