Jimbu facts for kids

Jimbu is a special herb that belongs to the onion family. It grows in the Himalayas, especially in parts of Nepal and India like Uttarakhand. People sometimes call it Jamboo or Faran.

This herb is made up of two types of wild onions: A. hypsistum and A. przewalskianum. Jimbu tastes a bit like a mix between an onion and chives. It is usually used when it's dried.

In the Mustang area of Nepal, Jimbu adds flavor to vegetables, pickles, and meat. In other parts of Nepal, it's often used to spice up lentil soup, called dal. To bring out its flavor, the dried leaves are often fried in ghee (a type of clarified butter). Jimbu is a seasonal plant, mostly harvested between June and September. People dry and store it to use all year long.

What is Jimbu Used For?

The parts of the Jimbu plant that grow above the ground are used in traditional medicine. People mainly use this herb for its amazing flavor and to season food. In the Upper Mustang region, many people also believe Jimbu is very healthy.

Jimbu in Cooking and Medicine

Almost all families (about 90%) in Upper Mustang use Jimbu as a spice. They add it to curries, soups, pickles, and meat dishes. People in other parts of Nepal and Northern India also use Jimbu a lot in their cooking.

Besides cooking, Jimbu is also important for medicine. It's considered a valuable medicinal plant found in the hills of Nepal. In Upper Mustang and other North-Central parts of Nepal, families use Jimbu to help with different sicknesses. They use it for things like the flu, coughs, and stomach pain. This is especially helpful in these remote villages, where it can be hard to find doctors or hospitals.

How People Use Jimbu: A Study

A study from 2006 looked at how people in Upper Mustang use Jimbu:

• About 95% of families use Jimbu in their cooking. They often add it to curries to create a special flavor.
• Around 38% of families use Jimbu as medicine. They mostly believe it helps them feel better when they have the flu.
• About 52% of families collect Jimbu themselves. The amount they collect changes a lot depending on how many people are in the family. Families with 5-6 people tend to collect much more.

Jimbu's Economic Benefits

After Jimbu is collected, people dry it in a closed area, like a shed, for several days. This helps it become completely air-dried. In 2004, people in Upper Mustang collected about 3,288 kilograms of dried Jimbu. Almost all of this was sold.

Jimbu and Local Income

In the mountain areas of Nepal, many families earn money by collecting and selling medicinal plants. In the Upper Mustang Region, the main ways people make a living are through farming, collecting wild plants, and trading goods at different times of the year. Most families in Upper Mustang collect wild Jimbu.

Selling Jimbu can make a big difference to a family's yearly income, adding about 10% of their earnings. Families who are involved in trading Jimbu earn even more. On average, families who traded Jimbu earned about $70 USD from its sale in 2003 and 2004. People often collect Jimbu and then sell it themselves to earn the most money.

How Jimbu is Traded

Jimbu is often sold directly from door to door. However, traders also travel to big cities like Kathmandu in Nepal and other parts of India to sell it. This means that people who trade Jimbu are always looking for new places to sell their product. Selling Jimbu to other countries could help people in rural Nepal earn more money and improve their lives. Spices like Jimbu are "high value, low volume" crops, meaning they don't take up much space but can be sold for a good price.

Availability and Challenges

One type of Jimbu, A. hypsistum, is usually easy to find. However, A. przewalskianum was considered vulnerable in the 1990s, meaning it was at risk. There are some challenges that make it harder to collect Jimbu from the wild.

Challenges for Jimbu Growth

One problem is that sheep, goats, and other livestock eat the plants. This happens because wild Jimbu often grows on communal land (land shared by everyone), and there are no rules to stop animals from eating it.

Another challenge is that Jimbu needs rainfall, especially in early summer, to grow well. The Mustang region often has dry, sandy soils that can easily be washed away by wind, snow, and rain. This makes it hard for plants to grow and for people to farm. Luckily, Jimbu plants grow in clumps and can help prevent erosion in these dry, sandy areas.

Collecting Jimbu

Because Jimbu grows in remote, mountainous areas, collecting it is hard work. It mostly involves people who are strong and energetic. This means that older people or those who are not physically able might find it difficult to collect Jimbu.

Why Jimbu Needs Management

Right now, there are no official systems in Upper Mustang to manage how Jimbu is collected and traded. Setting up formal systems, like farmer groups or cooperatives, is important. These groups could help solve problems like controlling livestock grazing.

Improving Jimbu Production

Farmer cooperatives can help communities work together better to collect Jimbu. They can also help people earn more money by buying and selling Jimbu in larger amounts. There are also not many other ways to collect Jimbu besides finding it in the wild. This means that if people actively manage the plant, they could start growing it more often, which would help the Jimbu industry grow.

To collect Jimbu in a way that protects the plant for the future, people could use rotational harvesting sites. This means collecting from different areas each year, both on shared land and private land.

Jimbu, like other spices, doesn't need a lot of cash, machinery, land, or labor to make a profit. This means that Jimbu could be planted in gardens or close to homes, especially on hillsides where it grows naturally. Having a profitable crop near home can be especially helpful for women, as it makes it easier for them to be involved in growing and caring for the Jimbu plants.