An ethnomedicinal survey of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants and their current marketing in the Kakar region of Balochistan Pakistan

Background. The present study was conducted to assess the ethno-pharmacological practices of medicinal plants by the local tribes of District Malakand, Pakistan. The people of the area are mostly poor and rely on local medicinal plants for their basic primary health care needs. During the survey it was perceived that the area is under extreme threat of overgrazing, deforestation and agricultural land expansion and needs urgent and proper ecological management to protect the important medicinal flora for future generations.Methods. The current Ethno-pharmacological study consists of frequent field visits and interviews with 200 local informers of the study area having different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. The information was collected from the indigenous people through interviews and semi-structured questionnaires .The data collected were analyzed with the help of quantitative indices such as Informant consensus factor (Fic) and Fidelity Level (FL%). The plants collected were identified with the help of flora of Pakistan and online plant databases.Results. A total of 130 medicinal plants belonging to 112 genera and 55 families were documented during this survey. The results showed that the plants collected during the survey were predominantly herbs (51%) followed by trees (27%), shrubs (19%) and climbers only (03%). The plants collected were mostly from Ruderal habitat (40%), followed by arable (36%), woodland (18%) and wetland (06%). On the basis of habit the plants collected were mostly Perennials (58%), followed by Annuals (39%) and Biennials only (03%). The majority of the plants used in the preparation of crude drugs were whole plant (33%), followed by leaves (25%), fruits (08%), roots (06%), shoots, flowers, barks, seeds (05%), gum and latex (03%) and bulb (02%) respectively. The highest Fic. values were recorded for cardiovascular and hypertensive diseases (1.0) followed by sore throat and narcotic diseases (0.80). The most important and extensively used species were Allium sativum L., Caralluma tuberculata N.E. Brown and Mentha spicata L. each with 100% FL value. This study showed that the area is gorgeous and rich in medicinal flora. The botanical name, local name, family name, flowering season, part used, and ethnopharmacological uses of local medicinal plants were documented.Conclusion: During this survey it was observed that the research area District Malakand, Pakistan is rich in medicinal flora and most of the indigenous people are poor and depend on medicinal plants for their basic primary health care needs. The survey showed that medicinal plants were mostly used by the local people to cure of gastrointestinal, skin, mouth, genital, urinary, cold, cough and joint diseases. The study will provide a baseline for further ethno-botanical, ethno-medicinal, phytochemical and antimicrobial studies.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Ethno-pharmacological Evaluation of Plants Resources of District Malakand, Pakistan

Ibrahim

Akhtar

Khan

et al. 2023

“…The rest of the 18-families were monotypic (Figure 4A). (Akram et al 2011), 2 (Zareen et al 2013), 3 (Qureshi et al 2009), 4 (Ahmad et al 2014, 5 (Yousaf et al 2004), 6 (Qureshi et al 2011), 7 (Qureshi et al 2007), 8 (Ajaib et al 2014), 9 (Yousaf 2014), 10 (Umair et al 2019), 11 (Sher et al 2011), 12 (Razzaq et al 2010, 13 (Murad et al 2013), 14 (Iqbal et al 2014), 15 (Khan et al 2018), 16 (Tareen et al 2016), 17 (Noman et al 2013, 18 (Tareen et al 2010), 19 (Jan et al 2016), 20 (Sarangzai et al 2013), 21 (Raja et al 2020), 22 (Shaheen et al 2017, 23 (Ahmad et al 2017), 24 (Furqan et al 2019, 25 (Amjad et al 2020), 26 (Hameed et al 2017), 27 (Hussain et al 2012), 28 (Memon et al 2008) All the plants reported in this study are wild and endemic to area to the area. *species are in IUCN red list.…”

Section: Medicinally Valued Flora Of the Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Umair et al (2019) andAli et al (2022) around Chenab river areas andTareen et al (2016) in Balochistan also documented Asteraceae and Poaceae among dominating families Shah et al (2020). documented Solanaeae with least number of species from the central Punjab Moreover,Shah et al (2019) documented Poaceae and Solanaceae the dominant species while, Fabaceae as least dominant from District Sargodha.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Highest FIV was accounted for Asteraceae (105.48%) followed by Amaranthaceae (49.32%) and Poaceae (39.73%) (Figure4B)Maqsood et al (2022) documented Amaranthaceae among moderate FIV in Bagh. While according toTareen et al (2016) Brassicaceae is with highest FIV in Balochistan. The highest FIV values indicates the greater number of informants cited for a particular family(Khan et al 2015) which might depend upon cultural and traditional factors of areas where different people use various plant families according to their taste and practices.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

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Exploring the traditional knowledge and medicinal flora of the communities residing along North Eastern India-Pakistan borders

Arshad

Ahmad

Shoaib

et al. 2023

Background: Ethnobotanical studies underpin the understanding of plant-people interaction in any geographical area along with the conservation strategies and priorities. The current study was carried out in the marginalized communities residing along the North Eastern Indo-Pak border of Depalpur and its adjoining areas of the Punjab Province, Pakistan.Methods: Snow-ball and random sampling techniques were employed for study participants. They were semi-structurally interviewed with open ended questions for the collection of desired data.Results: Altogether, 75 plant taxa were recorded in 68 genera and 32 families. The majority of them were wild herbs (86%), and whole plants (82%) were utilized frequently for drug preparations. Studied plants were reported to treat 40 ailments, however significantly used for fever (43 spp.) and gastrointestinal disorders (40 spp.).Conclusions: These findings endorsed the significant plant based knowledge of the border area populations. However, unprecedented rapid urbanization, economic development, and sociocultural dynamics challenged the retention of traditional knowledge. Profound decline was observed in the number of herbal practitioners, and their successors seem less interested in this field because of laborious jobs with low profit. Therefore, organic product development and the establishment of ethno species in home gardens and liaisoning with herbal industries may revitalize the existing traditional practices.

“…Umair et al (2019) andAli et al (2022) around Chenab river areas andTareen et al (2016) in Balochistan also documented Asteraceae and Poaceae among dominating families Shah et al (2020). documented Solanaeae with least number of species from the central Punjab Moreover,Iqbal et al (2019) documented Poaceae and Solanaceae the dominant species while, Fabaceae as least dominant from District Sargodha.…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Documentation of ethnomedicinal plants used by the people living in reserved forests of semi-arid region Punjab Pakistan

Waheed,

Haq,

Jameel

et al. 2023

Background: Ethnobotanical investigations serve as a foundation for comprehending the intricate interplay between plants and people within specific geographical regions, while also informing conservation strategies and priorities. The present study was conducted within the marginalized communities in the reserved forests of Punjab, Pakistan's semi-arid region.Methods: The study participants were selected using random sampling techniques, and they underwent semi-structured interviews involving open-ended questions to gather the required data.Results: In total, 82 plant taxa were documented, representing 74 genera and 32 families. The predominant category was wild herbs (45 species), with whole plants (35 species) being commonly employed in drug preparations. These studied plants were noted for their efficacy in addressing 30 distinct ailments, with fever (33 species) and gastrointestinal disorders (28 species) being the primary conditions they were prominently used for.Conclusions: These findings validate the substantial plant-based knowledge held by the populations residing in the semi-arid region. Nonetheless, the rapid pace of urbanization, coupled with economic growth and evolving sociocultural dynamics, has posed challenges to the preservation of traditional wisdom. A notable decline has been observed in the count of herbal practitioners, with their successors displaying diminished interest in the field due to demanding work and limited profitability. As a result, the revitalization of existing traditional practices could potentially be achieved through initiatives such as organic product development, cultivating ethnospecies in home gardens, and establishing collaborations with herbal industries.