Houttuynia cordata Thunb.: A potential nutraceutical herb

Houttuynia cordata is an aromatic herb widely used in Northeastern states of India for various purposes, like spice and condiments, cooked as vegetables, or therapeutic purposes by the indigenous traditional healers for various ailments. Many of the tribal or indigenous people of these states are also aware of many of its therapeutic uses. Although they are old practices, many researchers and scientists have recently taken an interest in their varied medicinal values and therapeutic potential. Various phytochemical compounds have been detected and isolated that are responsible for their therapeutic purpose. Here, an attempt has been carried out to gather the ethnobotanical uses from different states of Northeast India reported and compare them with the present ethnobotanical study from Manipur. Morphological characters with photographs of the species are presented here for easy identification. Food prepared using H. cordata by the Meitei community of Manipur is shown here. The comparative account of food and medicine revealed that this species is a potential nutraceutical herb. Incorporating this species into a normal diet can be highly beneficial for people's health. Cultivation and value addition of such potential nutraceutical herbs could help people find more options for healthy, nutritious food at reasonable prices.