Medicinal Plants of Turmic Valley (Central Karakoram National Park), Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Abstract

This study was undertaken to enumerate the medicinal plants of the area, find out the conservation status, and record the folk knowledge from the inhabitants of Turmic Valley during 2011-2013. The valley is located in the Rondo division of the District Skardu on the Northeastern side of the Indus River. The detailed information about the local flora regarding medicinal uses was collected from the local herbal healers (Hakeems) and other knowledgeable people. Locally used herbs of the area prevent and cure the people from various diseases such as joint pains, bronchitis, flu and fever, lowering blood pressure, constipation, liver disorders, stomach and abdominal problems, etc. The most common medicinal herbs found in the region belong to the families Gentianaceae, Berberidaceae, Umbelliferae, Labiatae, Rosaceae, Compositae, Urticaceae, and Ranunculaceae. The inhabitants of the valley mostly use the 42 plant species for the treatment of different health problems. Forty-two species of plants (including 4 Gymnosperms, 1 monocotyledon, and 37 dicotyledons) and 35 types of diseases have been identified during the current study. Thymus linearis, Rosa webbiana, Urtica dioca, Pleurospermum candollei, Berberis spp., Delphinium brononianum, and Mentha angustifolia were the commonly used plant species in the valley. The collected baseline data of this study will be helpfulfor young researchers in the fieldof taxonomy, ethnobotany, pharmacology, organic chemistry, and particularly for biodiversity conservation. Over exploitation, habitat destruction, and over grazing are the major threats for the loss of the important flora of the area.

Shared but Threatened: The Heritage of Wild Food Plant Gathering among Different Linguistic and Religious Groups in the Ishkoman and Yasin Valleys, North Pakistan

“…Data analysis was also carried out by calculating the Jaccard index (for each pair of considered communities), used for gauging the similarity and diversity of sample sets, following the application that González-Tejero et al [60] designed for the use of this ecological index in the ethnobotanical domain. Moreover, for national data comparison, a detailed literature survey on the ethnobotany of wild food plants of Pakistan and Pamir was also conducted [26,[37][38][39][40][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]. Collected plant taxa were identified by the third author using the Flora of Pakistan [53][54][55][56], and voucher specimens were deposited at the Herbarium of the Department of Botany, University of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.…”

Diverse Pharmacological Potentials of Betula Utilis: A Critical Review

“…Asthma, a cold, malaria, a cough, gout, and rheumatism are all helped by it [11]. Bark for treating a wide range of conditions, including bronchitis, convulsions, leprosy, blood disorders, and ear infections [12]. In addition to its hepato-protective properties, it also has antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-HIV properties.…”

Secondary metabolic profiling, antioxidant potential, enzyme inhibitory activities and in silico and ADME studies: a multifunctional approach to reveal medicinal and industrial potential of Tanacetum falconeri

“…It is mostly found in the rocky talus, near the lakes, valley plains or grassy ridges in different parts of Pakistan. Locally, the powdered leaves and extract of leaves of T. falconeri is used against various abdominal problems, whereas, its flowers and buds are beneficial in treating asthma, jaundice and blood pressure problems [ 2 , 3 ]. Different plant parts are utilised to treat joint discomfort after being dried in the shade [ 4 ].…”