Ethnomedicinal survey of medicinal plants traditionally used in Sakhra Valley district Swat, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: In Pakistan, out of 6000 species of higher plants only 600-700 are being used for medicinal purposes. It demands further exploration of more species having medicinal properties. The current study aims to document the traditional medicinal knowledge among the local communities residing in Sakhra Valley, district of Swat, Pakistan

Methods: The ethnomedicinal surveys were done from April 2021 to September 2022, and data was collected by organizing semi-structured interviews. For this purpose, 222 local informants with different age groups, genders, and professions were randomly selected to share their traditional wisdom. The data was evaluated by ethnobotanical indices like Informants Consensus Factor (ICF), Relative Frequency of Citation (FRC), Fidelity Level (FL), Relative Popularity Level (RPL) and Informants Consensus Factor (ICF).

Results: A total of 153 plant species belonging to 63 families and 100 genera were reported. Lamiaceae was reported as the dominant family followed by Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Brassicaceae, and Polygonaceae. Whole plant with 60 species was the leading group used in various formulations followed by leaves (30 species) and fruit (28 species). The most commonly used form was powder (55 species) succeeded by extract and decoction with 29 and 17 species respectively. Among the 24 commonly reported ailments categories, the gastrointestinal problem was the common ailment for which 81 species were cited, followed by excretory problems (36 species), and respiratory problems (28 species), while for skin and hepatic problems 23 and 19 species respectively.

Conclusions: The ethnobotanical study in Sakhra Valley unveiled some novel uses of ethnomedicinal plants. The traditional healers and local community members participated in the survey and provided vital information about the medicinal plants which will help in future research and new drug discovery.

Keywords: Ethnobotany, Traditional knowledge, Indigenous communities, Use Reports, Fidelity level,