Ethnomedicinal study of medicinal plants used by the population of Taunsa Sharif, Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Many human illnesses are treated by plant-based medicines because medicinal plants are rich sources of bioactive chemicals. The aim of this study was to document the traditional uses of medicinal plants used by the indigenous communities of Tehsil Taunsa Sharif, District DG Khan, Pakistan.

Methods: The ethnobotanical data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire as a tool for face-to-face interviews, and group discussions during the year 2021 to 2022. Fidelity level (FL), usage value (UV) and informant consensus factor (ICF) indices were used to calculate the relevance of described species in terms of culture.

Results: A total of 130 (75 male and 55 female) local residents of different villages were interviewed about 104 plant species belonging to 42 families. Poaceae and Fabaceae were dominant families with 14 species each. The highest percentage of fidelity level calculated for Calotropis procera, Psidium guajava and Salvadora oleoides. Similarly, the highest use value was calculated for Calotropis procera (0.75). The highest value of ICF was obtained for digestive disorders (0.80).

Conclusion: It was concluded that the indigenous population still use medicinal plants in their daily life for the treatment of various diseases. Furthermore, this research will be helpful for local government agencies to protect the natural resources.

Keywords: Medicinal plants; Indigenous knowledge; Traditional medicines; Taunsa Sharif, Punjab Pakistan