PJB-2021-590
Ethnomedicinal Analysis and Diversity of Vascular plants of Tehsil Mandan, District Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Shahid Rahman
Abstract
The present research study analyzed, documented the quantitative ethnobotany, and reported the traditional utilization of vascular plants and their distribution in different areas of Tehsil Mandan, District Buner, Pakistan. The floral survey was conducted through a semi-structured questionnaire method to undertake the one-on-one interview besides group discussions. Demographic features of informants, life form, occurrence, availability status, parts used, methods of preparation, and ethnomedicinal uses of vascular plants were documented. Ethnobotanical data were assessed using different quantitative indices like relative frequency citation (RFC), use value (UV), informant’s consensus factor (IFC), fidelity level (FL), and Jaccard index (JI) to test the validation and uniformity of locally collected vascular plants. A total of 140 plant species belonging to 98 genera and 65 families were reported, along with their ethnomedicinal utilization. The frequently mentioned disease category was gastrointestinal diseases (42.85%), followed by respiratory tract diseases (21.42%). The maximum reported families were Asteraceae and Lamiaceae (10 species each), while the most dominant life form of the species includes herbs (78 reports) followed by shrubs (30) and trees (32). The frequently used part was leaves (56), and the usual preparation method was decoction (78). The reported 30 ailments were classified into 23 categories based on ICF values, and the highest number of plant species was reported for gastrointestinal disorders. Based on RFC values, 11 plant species were recognized as having maximum familiarity with the locals based on citations. Eight plant species were found to have a 100% fidelity level because of their frequent utilization. Data regarding medicinal plant usage was compared with 17 previously published studies showing 14% resemblance and 10% variance with previous studies. The major floristic conservation issues were urbanization, browsing and overgrazing, exotic species invasion, fuel activities, and lack of awareness among the people. Documentation of important ethnomedicinal species for treating various ailments needs to be further investigated pharmacologically, phytochemically, and toxicologically that could lead to novel drug development.
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