Wild Plants in the Diet of Arhorchin Mongol Herdsmen in Inner Mongolia

Arhorchin Mongol herdsmen are one of the tribal and regional groups of the Mongol nationality still engaged in traditional animal husbandry in the grassland areas of eastern Inner Mongolia at present. There are 77 species of wild plants used in their diet. An ethnobotanical inventory is presented, which includes the botanical names, folk names, parts used, usage, and the numbers of voucher specimens. Distinctive national features of the use of wild plants in their diet are expressed in the aspects that the Arhorchin Mongol herdsmen integrate to wild plants with their traditional diet and bromatherapy. Traditional usage may be used to exploit patterns of wild food plants in grassland areas.