Wild food plants are commonly used in the traditional diets of indigenous people in many parts of the world, including northern Thailand. The potential contribution of wild food plants to the nutrition of the Karen and Lawa communities remains poorly understood. Wild food plants, with a focus on leafy vegetables, were ranked by the Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI) based on semi-structured interviews. Twelve wild plant species were highly mentioned and widely consumed. The importance of the wild vegetables was mainly related to taste, availability, and multifunctionality of the species. Their contents of proximate and minerals (P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu) were analyzed using standard methods. The proximate contents were comparable to most domesticated vegetables. The contents of Mg (104 mg/100 g FW), Fe (11 mg/100 g FW), and Zn (19 mg/100 g FW) in the wild leafy vegetables were high enough to cover the daily recommended dietary allowances of adults (19–50 years), whereas a few species showed Mn contents higher than the tolerable upper intake level (>11 mg/100 g edible part). The wild leafy vegetables, therefore, are good sources of minerals and we recommend their continued usage by indigenous people. Further research on these wild leafy vegetables’ contents of antioxidants, vitamins, heavy metals, anti-nutrient factors, and food safety is recommended.

This ethnobotanical review explores the culinary and medicinal uses of wild herbs and spices in Thailand, with an emphasis on documenting traditional knowledge and their ethnomedicinal uses. Analyzing 76 ethnobotanical studies, we identified 248 use reports encompassing 46 species, 10 families, and 26 genera, predominantly focusing on the flora of northern Thailand. The most frequently utilized wild herbs and spices include Alpinia galanga (64.5 %), Persicaria odorata (34.2 %), Litsea cubeba (32.9 %), Citrus hystrix (31.6 %), Boesenbergia rotunda, Piper sarmentosum (14.5 %), Elsholtzia griffithii (11.8 %), Zingiber kerrii (11.8 %) and Zanthoxylum armatum (10.5 %). Notably, 41 out of 46 investigated species were acknowledged for their ethnomedicinal properties, contributing to a total of 688 use reports in 22 categories, with a significant emphasis on their role in treating digestive and infection-related disorders. The wild herbs and spices with the highest use value include Acorus calamus (1.72), Alpinia galanga (0.79), Piper sarmentosum (0.76), Cinnamomum iners (0.63), Melicope pteleifolia (0.57), Citrus hystrix DC. (0.51), and Kaempferia parviflora Wall. ex Baker (0.51). These findings highlight the potential of wild Thai herbs and spices as nutraceuticals and enhance the understanding of Thailand's botanical heritage in traditional healthcare practices. The study highlights the importance of preserving traditional knowledge and promotes further research into the sustainable use of these valuable plant resources.

This study investigates the genetic diversity and population structure of Castanopsis tribuloides, a vital tree species in Asian forest ecosystems. Understanding the genetic patterns of keystone forest species provides critical insights into forest resilience and ecosystem function and informs conservation strategies. We analyzed population samples collected from three distinct locations within Doi Suthep Mountain in northern Thailand using Short Tandem Repeat (STR) markers to assess both intra- and inter-population genetic relationships. DNA was extracted from leaf samples and analyzed using a panel of polymorphic microsatellite loci specifically optimized for Castanopsis species. Statistical analyses included the assessment of forensic parameters (number of alleles, observed and expected heterozygosity, gene diversity, polymorphic information content), population differentiation metrics (G_ST), inbreeding coefficients (F_IS), and gene flow estimates (N_m). We further examined population history through bottleneck analysis using three models (IAM, SMM, and TPM) and visualized genetic relationships through principal coordinate analysis and cluster analysis. Our results revealed significant patterns of genetic structuring across the sampled populations, with genetic distance metrics showing statistically significant differentiation between certain population pairs. The PCA and cluster analyses confirmed distinct population groupings that correspond to geographic distribution patterns. These findings provide the first comprehensive assessment of C. tribuloides population genetics in this region, establishing baseline data for monitoring genetic diversity and informing conservation strategies. This research contributes to our understanding of how landscape features and ecological factors shape genetic diversity patterns in essential forest tree species, with implications for managing forest genetic resources in the face of environmental change.