Ethnopharmacological studies of indigenous plants in Kel village, Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Abstract

BackgroundThis explorative study was undertaken for the first time in Kel village located in the Upper Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The purpose was to document the indigenous knowledge of the native people used in the preparation of herbal medicines.MethodsTo get the data on traditional uses of medicinal plants, 20 informants were interviewed. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices, i.e., use value (UV), relative frequencies of citation (RFC), informant consensus factor (Fic), fidelity level (FL), data matrix ranking (DMR), preference ranking (PR), and jaccard index (JI), were calculated for the recorded medicinal plants.ResultsA total of 50 medicinal plants belonging to 33 families used in 13 disease categories were documented. Leaves were the frequently used plant parts, and decoction was the commonly used method for herbal medicine. Plants with high use value were Berberis lycium (2.05), Impatiens glandulifera (1.95), Artemisia scoparia (1.75), Ageratum conozoides (1.75), and Achillea millefolium (1.7). The highest RFC value was calculated for Berberis lycium (0.75), Cynoglossum lanceolatum (0.65), and Impatiens glandulifera and Achillea millefolium (0.60 each). The maximum informant consensus factor was for urinary system, cardiac diseases, baldness, and abortion and miscarriage (1.00). Berberis lyceum (95%) used in jaundice, hepatitis, typhoid, fever, and tuberculosis disorders. Plants with maximum fidelity level (FL) were Berberis lycium (95%) followed by Dioscorea bulbifera, Impatiens glandulifera, and Artemisia vulgaris (90%). Olea ferruginea was the most multipurpose plant and exports (21.2%) was the leading threat in the area. The pearson correlation coefficient (0.500) showed a positive correlation between the use value and relative frequency of citation.ConclusionThe present study provides useful information about traditional uses of medicinal plants used by local communities in different ailments. The plants with the highest use values could be employed in pharmacological research and biotechnological approaches in order to achieve adequate revenue. Some of the plants in the study area are facing high threats of becoming rare, and conservation initiatives are needed to conserve them for sustainable management in the region.

Ethnobotanical survey of the medicinal flora of Harighal, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan

“…Previously, different ethnobotanical studies were conducted to document the traditional knowledge about medicinal plants and herbal recipes in remote areas of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir [40][41][42][43][44]. However, Tehsil Harighal of District Bagh is still unexplored ethnobotnaically, especially due to topographical challenges like hilly terrain and steep slopes, and cultural and religious restrictions that limits researcher access to document ethnobotanical knowledge.…”

Assesement of plants used in traditional management of animals diseases in ekiti state north senatorial district of nigeria.

“…The taste of herbal medicine can be discouraging, however, it can be adjusted by adding honey or sugar to make it more pleasant [36,37]. Additionally, Poultice, rubbing and paste were other common methods as reported in previous studies [26,17,4].…”

Alien Plants in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa: Perceptions of Their Contributions to Livelihoods of Local Communities

“…where Np is the total number of participants mentioning the plant taxon for a certain use category and N is the total number of participants who use the mentioned plant taxon [69]. Box plots featuring medians, first and third quartiles and a range of benefits associated with alien plant species identified in this study, which included ecological, economic, social and therapeutic, were computed using Palaeontological Statistics [70], version 3.24.…”

“…where Np is the total number of participants mentioning the plant taxon for a certain use category and N is the total number of participants who use the mentioned plant taxon [69].…”

“…and Prunus persica (L.) Batsch ( Table 3). The fidelity level (FL) value used to assess the degree of importance of alien plants in the Eastern Cape province shows the ratio between the number of informants who independently suggested the use of alien species for the same major purpose and the total number of informants who mentioned the plant for any other use [68,69]. The relative frequency of citation (RFC) is the summation of the use report of alien plants based on all interviewed participants for a particular species without considering the use categories [67,68].…”