Plants are the primary source of life on Earth. Using solar energy, water, and carbon dioxide, they create the initial mass of organic matter, which sustains all other organisms. Generation after generation, people have observed plants, determining their harmfulness or usefulness, and utilizing them for their needs. Historically, a careful and respectful attitude towards vegetation, herbs, and the green cover of the Earth has been natural for the herder—nomad. It was said among the people: "A piece of land devoid of plants is like a lifeless space." Life in harsh mountain conditions taught the Kyrgyz to value plants not only as fodder for livestock but also as a necessary supplement to their food and as a means of treating illnesses. Many species of plants have long been used by them for various crafts. Mats were made from chiy, tal was used for fences and fuel, and many parts of the yurt were crafted from various types of wood, including saddles, utensils, etc. Dyes made from the roots of rhubarb and barberry are still successfully used for coloring leather and wool; these same compositions are used for dyeing the wooden parts of the yurt.
Vegetables and fruits have long been consumed by the Kyrgyz in their raw form. In the territory of Kyrgyzstan, there are vitamin-rich plants such as sorrel, currant, raspberry, blackberry, walnut, pistachio, almond, cherry, plum, and others.
The plant world of Kyrgyzstan is diverse and rich, pleasing to the eye and providing aesthetic enjoyment to its inhabitants. It includes over 3,500 species. Of the 40,000 words in the Kyrgyz vocabulary, more than 1,000 are names of plants. This wealth of flora is explained by the natural conditions and geographical location of Kyrgyzstan.
The Kyrgyz have created a unique classification of plants found in the territory of the republic, such as species with thorns, species with leaves, cereal plants, vegetable and fruit plants, etc. The nomadic lifestyle and insufficient development of agriculture did not allow the Kyrgyz to consume vegetable crops in sufficient quantities. Their diet mainly consisted of meat, dairy, and flour products. However, with the arrival of spring and summer, the Kyrgyz also utilized the gifts of nature—plant products. They empirically established that every edible plant contains beneficial substances for the body. The Kyrgyz consumed the following plants as food: baldyrkan—hogweed, kaakym—dandelion, koko—thistle, kemirchek—burdock, at kulak—sorrel, kymyzdyk—alpine bistort, yshkyn and chukuru—rhubarb, sarymsak—wild onion, piyaz—cultivated onion, koy teke—goat's rue, zhylky teke—goat's beard, kyzylgul—wild garlic, karagat—currant, kojogat—strawberry, dan kuuray—raspberry, kyzylduldurkon—cloudberry, karabuldurkon—blackberry, jangak—walnut, miste—pistachio, badam—almond, beru karagat—barberry, chie—Tian Shan cherry, alcha—Sogdian plum; as a grain, they used bird's knotweed (its seeds were often consumed raw when grain products were scarce); as a spice, they used ziziphus, black cumin, cumin, and others.
Additionally, in times of famine, when the drought was fierce, they consumed the wild plum (alcha, tubu alma-like root the size of an apple), large-rooted plants (sopkeldi, tubu kyzyltchada-like root the size of a beet), and others. As it is now known, these plants contain a lot of starch.
It has also been established that many of the plants consumed by the Kyrgyz have disinfecting and antiseptic properties, enhance the body's defenses, and positively affect metabolism, etc. Such plants include currants and barberry; they contain significant amounts of vitamins C, B, and others.
The inhabitants of the plains knew that the ripening time of fruits, vegetables, and berries growing in the mountains (cloudberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.) coincides with the vegetative phases of grain (wheat, barley, millet) and leguminous plants sown in agricultural zones.
Interestingly, a similar method of determining the ripeness of certain berries in the mountains or in the forest is found among other peoples. For example, the northern Pomors recognized the ripeness of the fragrant cloudberry—one of their favorite treats, growing far in the forest—by the color of the island of Bolshaya Sinukha, located in Onega Bay: if its color changed from light gray to reddish-yellow, it meant it was time to prepare a basket for the medicinal berries.
Empirically, the people identified a number of poisonous plants, such as uu korgoshun (literally, poisonous lead)—aconites, mendubana—black henbane, uu baldyrkan, and sometimes sasyk baldyrkan—poison hemlock, chotchko jangak—common thorn apple, and others. It is known that the poison in various parts of the plant is distributed unevenly. In some species, a large amount accumulates in the roots, in others—in the seeds; in others, all parts of the plant—stems, leaves, roots, flowers, fruits—are significantly poisonous. Kyrgyz healers are well aware of this.
Without scientific concepts about the regularities of the zonal distribution of the plant world, the Kyrgyz, based on centuries of observation and empirical knowledge, correctly utilized the pastures for grazing livestock in mountain pastures.
The herds and flocks of sheep are just right
For plants like wormwood and sagebrush.
The tipchak grows waist-high.
Spacious Talas is a blessed land for grazing mares.