Preprint / Version 1

Ethnomedicinal Plants and Herbal Preparations Used by Rural Communities in Tehsil Hajira (Poonch District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan)

Authors

  • Tahira Jabeen Department of Botany, Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Bagh, Bagh 12500, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Muhammad Amjad Department of Botany, Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Bagh, Bagh 12500, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Khalid Ahmad Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Rainer Bussmann Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia; [email protected]
  • Huma Qureshi Department of Botany, University of Chakwal, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan; [email protected]
  • Ivana Vitasović-Kosić Division of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Department of Agricultural Botany, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Keywords:

traditional knowledge, ethnobotanical survey, medicinal, ethnopharmacology herbal tradition, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study emphasizes the importance of documenting ethnomedicinal plants and herbal practices of the local rural communities of Tehsil Hajira (Pakistan). The aim was to document, explore and quantify the traditional ethnomedicinal knowledge. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed using various quantitative indices. The results showed that 144 medicinal plant species from 70 families and 128 genera play an important role in herbal preparations. The most common type of preparation was powder (19.0%), followed by paste (16.7%), aqueous extract (15.7%), decoction (14.7%) and juice (11.0%). Fragaria nubicola (0.94) and Viola canescens (0.93) had the highest relative frequency of mention (RFC), while Berberis lycium (1.22) and Fragaria nubicola (1.18) had the highest use value (UV). Geranium wallichianum (85.5), Ligustrum lucidum (83) and Indigofera heterantha (71.5) were the most important species in the study area with the highest relative importance (RI) value. The diseases treated were categorized into 17 classes, with diseases of the digestive system and liver having the highest Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) value, followed by diseases of the oropharynx and musculoskeletal system. Important plants mentioned for the treatment of various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are Zanthoxylum alatum, Berberis lycium, Mentha longifolia, Punica granatum, Rubus ellipticus and Viola canescens. New applications of rarely documented plants from this area are: Oxalis corniculata paste of the whole plant to treat vitiligo, Carthamus tinctorius flowers to treat chicken pox, Dioscorea deltoidea tuber powder to treat productive cough, Inula cappa root decoction to treat miscarriage, Habenaria digitata tuber juice for the treatment of fever, Viola canescens leaves and flowers for the treatment of sore throat and Achillea millefolium root and leaf juice for the treatment of pneumonia. These plants may contain interesting biochemical compounds and should be subjected to further pharmacological studies to develop new drugs. Traditional medicinal knowledge in the area under study is mainly limited to the elderly, traditional healers and midwives. Therefore, resource conservation strategies and future pharmacological studies are strongly recommended. Keywords: traditional knowledge, ethnobotanical survey, medicinal, ethnopharmacology herbal tradition, Pakistan

Author Biographies

Tahira Jabeen, Department of Botany, Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Bagh, Bagh 12500, Pakistan; [email protected]

Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft

Muhammad Amjad, Department of Botany, Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Bagh, Bagh 12500, Pakistan; [email protected]

Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Resources, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Supervision

Khalid Ahmad, Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan; [email protected]

Formal analysis

Rainer Bussmann, Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia; [email protected]

Software, Validation, Writing – review & editing

Huma Qureshi, Department of Botany, University of Chakwal, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan; [email protected]

Writing – review & editing

Ivana Vitasović-Kosić, Division of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Department of Agricultural Botany, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Funding acquisition

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