1Professor, Royal School of Hotel Management, RGU, Assam. Email: aksingh@rgu.ac (Ajeet Kumar Singh); mpverma@rgu.ac (Maheshwari Prasad Verma)
2Research Scholar, MIT University, Shillong. Email: silpiranikc@gmail.com
3Assistant Professor & HOD, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Rajasthan. Email: Sandeep.saxena@mygyanvihar.com
4Assistant Professor, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Punjab. Email: deepali.5672@cgc.edu.in (Deepali Sharma); devash.5139@cgc.edu.in (Devash Prakash Rana)
5Associate Professor, Royal School of Travel and Tourism, RGU, Assam. Email: supriyasikari@gmail.com
6Assistant Professor, Jaipur National University, Rajasthan. Email: mandeep.singh@jnujaipur.ac.in
'Northeastern India', one of the richest biodiversity regions of India and South Asia, has several native plant varieties used in traditional cooking by locals. The locally grown herbs and spices contribute to flavor and have nutritional and medicinal value. In many tribal and ethnic cuisines, food and medicine are often integrated foods are consumed not only for nutrition but also to support digestion, immunity, and the treatment of ailments. Northeast India is home to hundreds of indigenous communities, each with its own food traditions, ingredients, and cooking technique which plays a vital role in regional gastronomy and health traditions. The study majorly uses secondary data to scrutinize the culture, cuisines of northeastern states and some locally used rare herbs and spices to review their botanical identity, local known names, culinary applications, and ethnobotanical relevance of species. Despite their importance, systematic research on phytochemical and agronomic aspects remains inadequate. The study highlights the need for interdisciplinary research, conservation strategies, and sustainable commercialization of these underutilized culinary botanicals. This paper reviews extensive literature on local food Habits of the region and synthesizes findings on prevalent cooking techniques, their cultural relevance, and nutritional implications. The distinctive culinary repertoire is shaped due to ecological diversity and cross-cultural interactions with Southeast Asia. The diversity of Northeastern India cuisines and cooking techniques reflect an amalgamation of environmental necessity, cultural tradition, and social practice emphasizing steaming, fermentation, smoking, boiling, and minimal processing. Over the last two decades, tribal cuisine from the Northeast has begun to gain national and international recognition, celebrated for its authenticity, sustainability, and bold flavors. Despite prominence of local herbs and spices in local diets, many of these botanicals are un-documented. This paper aims to consolidate existing research and provide a comprehensive academic overview of selected rare herbs and spices used in Northeastern Indian cooking.
Keywords: Northeastern India, Indigenous herbs & spices, culinary biodiversity, Indigenous cuisine, food preservation, Therapeutic benefits
How to cite this article: Singh AK, Verma MP, Barua SR, Saxena S, Sharma D, Rana DP, Sikari S, Singh M. Therapeutic Benefits Of Local Herbs, Spices And Culinary Preparations Of Northeastern India. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(11s): 683-693. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.11s.69
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None