对多民族聚居的云南思茅市及其周边村寨在端午节期间食用药根的习俗进行了较全面的民族植物学调查。思茅各民族千百年来对药根膳食均有不同程度的喜爱,他们的药根膳食知识具有地域特色,融合了汉、傣、拉祜等原住民的医药知识。思茅端午节膳食药根的种类,计38种,分别属于22科32属。对云南思茅端午节食用药根膳食的文化基础和药根膳食的开发利用前景也进行了讨论。

The medicinal roots ( including both real roots and underground stems of plants) during the Dragonboat Festival season eaten by different human groups in Simao, a tropical county in southern Yunnan, Southwest China, was investigated and reported .It was found the local people have developed their tradition of eating medicinal roots for hundreds of years .Most people like these medicinal roots more or less .The indigenous knowledge of eating medicinal roots is characterized by regionalization, and assembling of different eating cultures such as those from Dai, Lahu and the Han Chinese .The medicinal roots collected by the people in Simao are from 38 plant species, belonging to 22 families and 32 genera, which is reported here for the first time .The cultural background of eating medicinal roots was elucidated .The development potential of edible medicinal roots was discussed .