## 7 Indigenous Knowledge System and, Uses of _Amaranthus_ in America, Asia, and Africa  
Indigenous knowledge can gradually disappear due to a lack of adequate transfer of knowledge to the younger generation. The loss of indigenous knowledge system of food may hinder people from benefitting from the available and accessible food resources thus, depriving people of the nutritional value embed in indigenous food, including _Amaranthus_[88]. Hence, conserving the indigenous knowledge system becomes a vital drive for food-based approach. This review agrees with the statement that, transfer of indigenous knowledge system of traditional vegetables is promising and can promote the accessibility of their endowed nutrient. _Amaranthus_ is a common food plant that has been used in resource-poor rural populations. Hence it is linked with the poor [89]. Physiologically, _A. spinosus_ is a straight plant, a perennial herb with diverse colors, and is widely distributed throughout the tropics and warm temperate regions of Asia from Japan to Indonesia, India, the Pacific islands, native to tropical America and Australia as a weed and as a cultivated crop. It is a common weed found in waste places, roadsides, and path sides and near rivers in West Africa, Ghana [89].The plant has a long history of usage in traditional medicine against various aliments around the world, subtropical and Himalayan regions, and is distributed in lower to middle hills (3000-5000 ft) of the entire Northeastern Himalayas [89]. _A. spinosus Linn_. One of the medicinal plants of Eastern Himalaya, especially of Sikkim Himalaya, is known as prickly _Amaranthus_[89]. Amarathus leaves and grains are indigenous foods of Incas and Aztecs in pre-Columbian times. Among the Aztecs, Amaranth flour was used to baked images of their patron deity, [PERSON], more prominently during the festival called _Panquetzaliztli_, symbolizing means \"raising banners\" The Mixtec's of Oaxaca also greatly recognized the role of Amaraths. Amaraths were made into a paste and were used to stick the precious postclassic turquoise mosaic covering of the skull, it was also used as a form of tribute payment. Its name in Nahuatl was _huuultli_[89]. Furthermore, all _Amaranthus_ has been used for forage since it was regarded as weeds, but it also has been included in the human diet as an ingredient with great potential \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline
**Species** & **Synonyms** & **Common Name** & **References** \\ \hline _Amarathus bilirubin L_ & _A. livelidus_ L. & Amaranth, wild slender amaranth, pigweed, purple & [79] \\ _A. olerocus_ L. & amaranth, amarantantsevane, amaranthebette, & [79] \\ _Amaranthus curneutus_ & _A. paniculatus_ L. _sungineus_ L. _A. hybridus_ L. subsp. _cruentius_ (L) & Amaranthe, brede de malabar, amaranto, bredo, & [80] \\ _Thell. var. _pariculatus_ (L). Thell. & Red/purple amaranth & & \\ _Amaranthus caudatus_ & Love-lies-bleeding, red-hot cattail, & African spinach, Indian spinach, bredemalabar, & [81] \\ _Amaranthus dubius_ & _Amaranthus tristis_ auct. Non-L. & Bredo, mchicha, & [82] \\ _Amaranthus hypechondriacus_ & _Ahybridus_ auct. Non-L. & Prince's feather, amaranth, amarante, bredemalabar, & [83] \\ _Amaranthus spinosus_ L. & & & \\ _Amaranthus thunbergia_ & & & \\ _Amaranthus tricolor_ & _A. tristis_ L. & Amaranto, bredo, & [86] \\ _A. gargetticus_ L & & & \\ _Amaranthus viridis_ & _A. gracilis_ Desf. Ex Poir. & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Some of the most widely grown species and their common name. for wellbeing. _A. caudatus_ was a commonly dispersed staple food of hunter-gatherers in South America and India. The species originated as one of the staple foods of the ancient inhabitants of the Andean region [89]. Several _Amaranthus_ crops are widely grown in Central and South America; however, there are also grain amarants that are genetically distinct from the weedy species, which are believed to have evolved from wild populations [90].