Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2016; 5(5): 88-92
E-ISSN: 2278-4136
P-ISSN: 2349-8234
JPP 2016; 5(5): 88-92
Received: 13-07-2016
Accepted: 14-08-2016
Shyam Narayan Labh
Department of Zoology, Amrit
Campus, Tribhuvan University,
Kathmandu, Nepal
Shubha Ratna Shakya
Department of Zoology, Amrit
Campus, Tribhuvan University,
Kathmandu, Nepal
Medicinal importance of fruits of indigenous lapsi
Choerospondias axillaris (Roxb.) in Nepal
Shyam Narayan Labh and Shubha Ratna Shakya
Abstract
Choerospondias axillaris (Roxb.), a large, deciduous and subtropical fruit tree has been recognised as a
potential agroforestry tree for income generation for subsistence farmers in Nepal. The tree, locally called
Lapsi, produces fruits with high vitamin C content, which are consumed fresh, pickled and processed for
preparing varieties of sweet and sour, tasty food products that are marketed locally and have potentials
for exporting. A total of 301 Village Development Committees in 29 hill districts have reported
cultivation and protection of Lapsi trees for some socio-economic purpose. Lapsi was grown from east to
west Nepal from 850 m asl to up to 1900 m. Distribution of Lapsi has been found in much wider areas in
the country than reported earlier. Over 40,000 trees are at fruit bearing stage and more than 450,000 new
trees are planted in various districts of Nepal.
Keywords: Choerospondias axillaris, lapsi, vegetative propagation, fruit trees, terai, domestication,
agroforestry.
1. Introduction
1.1 Background of the country
Nepal is a landlocked country situated in the central part of the Himalayas between China to
the north and India to the south, the east and the west. The country has been geographically
divided into three ecological belts: Mountains, Hills and Terai. All three ecological belts
extend lengthwise from east to west across the country. The climate varies from alpine cold
semi-desert type in the trans-Himalayan zone to tropical humid type in the tropical lowlands in
the south. It has an area of 147,181 square kilometers, average length of 885 kms east to west,
and average width of 193 kms north to south. The country has an immense variety of
topography, ranging from lowland plains in the south with elevation as low as 90 meters to the
Himalayan mountain range in the north with elevation up to 8848 meters at the Mount Everest.
The climate varies from alpine cold semi-desert type in the trans-Himalayan zone to tropical
humid type in the tropical lowlands in the south. Nepalese economy heavily relies on
agriculture and contributes 33 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that generates direct
employment to 67 percent population and 76.3 percent agricultural households, the major
source of livelihoods of the Nepalese people [1]. There are altogether 75 districts and 5
development regions: Eastern, Central, Western, Mid-Western and Far Western and about 36%
of the total population resides in the Central Development Region, which covers 19 districts
including Kathmandu valley [2].
Correspondence
Shyam Narayan Labh
Department of Zoology, Amrit
Campus, Tribhuvan University,
Kathmandu, Nepal
2. Distribution of lapsi in Nepal
Lapsi, Choerospondias axillaris is indigenous fruit tree of Nepal found growing within 9002000 m above sea level in many parts of the country [4]. It is grown in 301 village
Development committees of 29 hill districts of Nepal for some socio-economic purpose [4].
Lapsi trees are commonly found in places like Pharping, Machhaya gaon (Kirtipur), Phulbari,
Panchkhal, Namobuddha, Kavre, Panauti and Dhulikhel of Kavrepalanchowk district as well
as in Jiri, Charikot of Dholka district and Chautara of Sindhupalchowk district. The tree has
long been cultivated in rural Nepal for its fruit. The lapsi tree is widely used for private
planting in hills, as part of community forestry program [5]. In the natural forest lapsi trees are
sparsely distributed. Over 40,000 trees at fruit bearing stage and more than 450,000 new trees
were planted in these districts of the country. There is a tremendous opportunity for income
and employment generation through proper management and use of Lapsi tree in Nepal [4].
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Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry
2,000 m above sea level in the Himalayan range. Lapsi trees
stand in small patches in the natural forest or scattered in the
farmlands and at different religious sites. It is a potential agroforestry tree species for income generating and nutrient
supplementation in the mid hills of Nepal. Existence of lapsi
as pre-historic vegetation types of 'Sleshmantak Ban'
(meaning Lapsi forest) around 'Pashupatinath' in Kathmandu
has been quoted in the 'Swasthani Bratakatha'. This deciduous
tree can grow up to 20 meters tall and has smaller purplebrown branches and has been considered as suitable crop for
multiple uses in mountain farms.
The lapsi fruits are widely used in central Nepal. Major
production pockets are around the outskirts of Kathmandu
valley. Lapsi tree is familiar and scattered in the mid hills of
Nepal in the forest as well as private land as a preferred agro
forestry tree. With increase in market for lapsi fruit, the
popularity of lapsi tree has increased. It has become a
commercially important tree mainly in the districts
surrounding Kathmandu valley. The increased demand of
lapsi as fruit in Kathmandu led forestry program to expand the
plantation of the tree. Since then, lapsi farming has become
attractive for cultivation to the farmers. Since lapsi is a
relatively new crop for scientific research and often an
ignored crop both from agricultural and forestry sector, there
exists inadequate published literatures.
3. Historical Background of lapsi in Nepal
The urbanization of Kathmandu valley created opportunities
for the development of adjoining districts. Lapsi has been
harvested from the forests to feed the markets in Kathmandu.
Lapsi fruits entered the market in the mid 1960s and trade
increased rapidly buoyed by brisk demand in Kathmandu for
unprocessed fruits as well as candy, manda, seeds and
ground-skin. Increasing demand for lapsi fruits in Kathmandu
led forestry programs to initiate its production. Accordingly,
the cultivation of lapsi trees has increased as part of forestry
activities since the early 1970s, and processing industries
have been developing in and around the Kathmandu in
response. At present the lapsi tree is widely used for private
planting in the hills, as part of the community forestry
program which was implemented in most of the hill districts
of Nepal in the early 1980s with the support from bilateral
and multilateral donors. Programs included establishing and
operating nurseries in villages in order to produce seedlings of
preferred species for planting in community and private
forests.
4. Lapsi farming at national level
A total of 301 Village Development Committees (VDCs) in
29 hill districts have reported cultivation and protection of
lapsi trees for some socio-economic purpose. Lapsi grows
from east to west Nepal between 900 m above sea level and
Fig 1: Distribution of Lapsi in various districts of Nepal
There are 68,557 households. The average household size is
4.44 [6]. It has been found that almost every VDC in
Bhaktapur has lapsi trees especially in upland area. Most of
the farmers residing the upland area have lapsi tree in their
lands. However, they are not growing these trees in
commercial scale. They have got lapsi trees growing
naturally. In the natural forest lapsi trees are sparsely
distributed.
5. Bhaktapur district as a Lapsi Area in Nepal
Bhaktapur district covering an area of 119 sq km is the
smallest district in Nepal. It is located in the eastern part of
Kathmandu valley. The neighboring districts of Bhaktapur are
KavrePalanchok to the east, Kathmandu and Lalitpur to the
west, Kathmandu and KavrePalanchok to the north and
Lalitpur to the south. It lies between latitude 27º36' to 27º44'
North and longitude 85º21' to 85º32' East. It has the average
length of 16 km east to west, and the average width of 12.2
km north to south. The average height from the sea level is
1331 m. It has 2 parliamentary constituencies, 2
municipalities and 16 Village Development Committees. Its
altitudes vary from 200-3018 m asl, whereas the average
temperature ranges from 20º C to 25 ºC. The average annual
rainfall is 56 mm. The total population of Bhaktapur is
304,651 that consists of male 154,884 (50.84%) and female
149,767 (49.16%). The population growth rate is 2.71%.
6. Lapsi farming at International level
Lapsi distribution is not restricted to the Himalayas, however,
the tree is also found in Thailand [3], Vietnam [7] and China
[8-12]
. Lapsi trees are also reported from Sikkim, Assam and
Darjeeling in India [13]. However, lapsi farming is not done in
commercial scale. People collect lapsi fruits from the forest
and either processed or taken to the nearby market for sale.
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Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry
10. Medicinal uses of lapsi fruits
Choerospondias axillaris (Roxb.) is a medicinal plant used in
Mongolia. Fruits of C. axillaries have been reported to
possess several properties for treatment of myocardial
ischemia, calming nerves, ameliorating blood circulation and
improving microcirculation in Mongolia [16, 17]. The
constituents responsible for the effects of fruits of C. axillaris
are phenolic and flavonoid compounds [18], because
compounds of this kind are known to be antioxidants [19]. The
oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS),
such as the superoxide radical (O2-) and hydroxyl radicals
(OH-), on lipids, proteins and nucleic acids may trigger
various
diseases
including
cardiovascular disease.
Epidemiological studies have shown that administration of
antioxidants may decrease the probability of cardiovascular
diseases [20, 21].
Phenolic compounds are widely found in the secondary
products of medicinal plants, as well as in many edible plants
[22]
. The ability of phenolic compounds to serve as
antioxidants has been recognized, leading to speculation about
the potential benefits of ingesting phenolic-rich foods. Several
studies have described the antioxidant properties of medicinal
plants, foods, and beverages which are rich in phenolic
compounds [23, 24].
Blood flow arrest and reperfusion during AMI cause
myocytes and endothelium injury through oxidative stress and
inflammatory response, both of which involve ROS and
peroxides that consume antioxidant defenses. Researchers
have found that flavonoids content of C. axillaris could
inhibit dexamethasone-induced thymocyte apoptosis [25] Li et
al., 1998). Recently, Ao et al. (2007) have reported that
flavonoids content of C. axillaris could attenuate the serum
levels of CK, CK-MB and LDH in isoproterenol-induced MI
injury in rats [26]. In light of the previous findings, Chunmei et
al. (2013) [27] hypothesized that TFC can inhibit oxidative
damage and cardiomyocyte apoptosis associated with AMI.
Epidemiological studies have shown that administration of
antioxidants may decrease the probability of cardiovascular
diseases [20, 21].
7. Indigenous knowledge about cultivation, management
and use of lapsi
Local farmers have wealth of indigenous knowledge about
Lapsi cultivation, management and utilization. Almost all
Lapsi fruits coming to markets to date are obtained from wild
grown trees. Farmers have been protecting and growing
naturally regenerated Lapsi plants in forest and farmland.
They have increased cultivation of this tree for the last 10-20
years, especially when forest nurseries have begun to produce
and distribute Lapsi seedlings. No evidence on the use of
improved technologies/ varieties for quality fruit production
was found in Nepal and no improved horticultural practices
such as irrigation, fertilisation, and pruning were applied.
Lapsi was considered as one of the best agroforestry tree
species to be grown in farmlands due to several reasons such
as thinner crown density, tall and deciduous in nature that
causes low level of shading effect on cereal crops. However,
the disadvantage of growing Lapsi in farmland was also
realised by farmers as crop damage occurs while Lapsi
harvesting. It was also evident from interaction with Lapsi
growers that they are quite aware about the crop impact of
Lapsi trees in their bari (un-irrigated farms) lands and they try
to minimize this effect by locating trees in the margins of
farmland, comers and pasture lands.
Lapsi cultivation has been much influenced by marketing
facilities such as access to motorable road and market centres;
processing companies and traders activity [14]. The extensive
cultivation of Lapsi around the districts of Kathmandu valley,
and its catchment area provide absolute evidence on positive
influence of market facility on Lapsi production.
8. Processing, marketing and trading of Lapsi products
Fruit processing is taking place at domestic, semi-commercial
and commercial scale. Farmers in remote areas are
traditionally processing Lapsi for household needs as pickles
(both fresh and packed), and mada. Mada is a collective name
for dried Lapsi mat prepared from the pulp and peel of Lapsi
fruits by crushing in a wooden mortar and pastel (Dhiki),
often mixed with salt, sugar or spices, sun dried, packed and
sold in markets as dry fruit products. The production and sale
of Lapsi fruits for processed products such as mada, candy
and titaura is confined around urban areas, whereas local sale
and bartering of Lapsi fruit for salt, sugar, cereals and
stationary has been reported to take place even in remote
areas. New processing companies are established in smaller
town centers, as road network is being expanded. Most of the
Lapsi products are consumed within Nepal. However, the
possibility for exporting Lapsi products could be improved
with better management and processing practices. The main
marketable products are: Mada, Candy, Titaura, Lyassi pau,
Lapsi powder, Lapsi squash etc.
11. Opportunities
Lapsi is a wild, indigenous fruit tree of multiple benefits. It is
a potential agroforestry tree species for income generation and
nutrient supplementation in the middle mountains of rural
Nepal. Lapsi has great potential as a cash-generating tree for
hill farming communities in Nepal thus, reducing farmers’
reliance on subsistence food production and to improve their
welfare. Regular annual income generation by the tree has
great positive impact on the poverty alleviation of indigenous
people in general. Lapsi is a multipurpose tree that has higher
income and employment generating potential without
deteriorating the natural environment.
Farmers have been encouraged to grow lapsi because of high
demand of lapsi from processors and collectors. Producers
have not been able to fulfill the demand of markets. There is a
great opportunity for income and employment generation
through proper management and use of lapsi tree. All the
people involved in lapsi business do not get worried of their
stuffs' marketing. Processors say they can sell their varieties
in the market even they don't get cash selling at the time of
delivery. Lapsi wood is used as light construction timber and
fuel-wood, seed stones are used as fuel in brick kilns and the
bark has a medicinal value for treating secondary burn.
9. Propagation of Lapsi by tissue culture
Attempts in tissue culture of mature Lapsi trees using axillary
buds from selected male and female trees have been initiated
at the Institute of Applied Microbiology, University of
Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, since
1998. So far, surface sterilization procedure for the explants
derived from grafted plants at different maturity stages has
been developed. Axenic cultures could be successfully
established in DKV medium supplemented with 1 mg/l
benzyl-amino purine (BAP) [15]. Studies on further
development and multiplication of shoots under the influence
of different hormone combinations and culture conditions are
currently underway.
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Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry
8. Hau CH, Parrotta JA, Turnbull JW. Tree seed predation
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12. Challenges
Current production and supply of lapsi fruits do not meet the
market demand for quality products on the one hand, and the
production from remote areas has not been able to fill this gap
on the other. Expansion of lapsi cultivation for quality fruits
production is limited mainly due to the associated risk of non
bearingness, as only female trees produce fruits, normally
after 7-10 years of planting. Neither appropriate techniques
for early sex determination nor simple and reliable vegetative
propagation methods were developed and disseminated.
Because of this problem, farmers are worried whether the
trees they have already grown will produce fruits. There is no
proper branding and labeling practices prevalent. This
happens to be the biggest hurdle in lapsi enterprise
development. An important issue is the lack of marketing
information for lapsi growing farmers since farmers with
market information may fetch a higher price for their fruits.
Small landholders and the landless are still deprived of
emerging market opportunities because of a lack of
information and credit possibilities. The absence of a growers'
institution limits growers' bargaining capacity, and traders are
getting the larger share of the benefits.
13. Conclusion
Lapsi has been identified as a potential agroforestry tree
species for domestication for rural income generation and
human nutrient supplementation. Lapsi fruits are rich in
essential amino acids, minerals and vitamin C. Lapsi is
processed to make candies of various composition and taste.
There is a tremendous market opportunity for processed lapsi,
both in domestic and international market. The participatory
approach used in the occurrence and distribution of Lapsi in
Nepal has been effective to draw a distribution map of a
single species of farmers' interest. Lapsi has been growing in
301 VDCs in 29 hill districts of Nepal and is further
expanding. Information on distribution of lapsi would help to
identify better stands, individual trees for tree improvement.
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