@article{oai:ir.kagoshima-u.ac.jp:00005363,
 author = {YAMAMOTO, Sota},
 journal = {南太平洋海域調査研究報告=Occasional papers},
 month = {2016-10-28},
 note = {The local nomenclature and usage of Capsicum in Weno, Romanum, and Piis islands,
Chuuk Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), were surveyed to investigate
the relationship between people and Capsicum with a focus on dispersal routes,
ethnobotany, and food security. Two species of Capsicum, C. annuum and C. frutescens,
are cultivated in Chuuk Atoll, but C. frutescens, especially the green type, is a common
seasoning in the daily diet of locals and has become an important and indispensable condiment. Capsicum peppers are called “mwik (mwiik)” in Chuuk Atoll, which is of
unknown origin. People used C. frutescens in various ways: as a condiment (fresh fruits
and fruits soaked in the water of mature coconuts), vegetable (leaves), and medicine
(fruits and/or seed for treating toothaches, fruits for eliminating the stomach parasite
known as“ nikanipwun”, roots for an ointment to treat skin wounds, fruits for treating
sick domestic fowl, and fruits for boosting energy of gamecocks after fighting).
However, with modernization, residents of Chuuk Atoll have been eating fewer C. frutescens leaves in recent years. The FSM has faced serious public health problems
due to a new diet and other lifestyle changes especially from the 1980s, and the
government, non-governmental organizations, and many researchers have attempted
to promote a return to local foods because of their higher carotenoid and vitamin
contents compared to modern foods. On small islands and atolls, imported foods and
medicines may not arrive for more than a month if a typhoon or an oil crisis occurs.
Therefore, for food security, it is imperative to re-discover plants already naturalized on each island. From this perspective, an important candidate plant is C. frutescens,
which can serve not only as a spice but also as a vegetable rich in carotenoids and
vitamins. Capsicum frutescens has long been naturalized in these regions; therefore, it
does not need to be cultivated and its fruits and leaves can be harvested throughout
the year. To improve public health on Pacific islands, there should be renewed focus
on plants that are already naturalized on each island.},
 pages = {77--89},
 title = {Use of Capsicum frutescens in Weno, Romanum, and Piis islands, Chuuk Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia},
 volume = {53},
 year = {}
}