PJB-2021-699
ETHNOVETERINARY MEDICINAL PRACTICES AMONG THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF BAHAWALPUR DISTRICT, SOUTHERN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN
Amjad Saeed
Abstract
Plants are used not just as forage or fodder, but also in the healing of a variety of health problems, especially in animals. This is the first baseline study on ethno-veterinary uses of plant species conducted in the Bahawalpur district, Pakistan. The aim of this research was to determine which remedies were still in use and to record ethno-veterinary folklore in order to preserve them and prevent their extinction due to oral transmission. This study was conducted between 2020 and 2021 with the objective of documenting medicinal plants used for treating livestock ailments. Through semi-structured interviews, discussions and guided transect-walk, 99 informants provided information on how to treat various animal ailments. Data was analyzed using Used Value (UV), Fidelity level (FL%) Relative Popularity level (RPL) and Rank order priority (ROP). In total, 42 plant species from 23 families were identified as being used by the local tribes in the study area to cure various livestock ailments. Poaceae was the most dominant family in the research study, followed by Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Amaranthaceae, and other families. The leaves of plant species are the most commonly used parts for making ethno-veterinary medications. The maximum UV was reported for Cenchrus setiger (0.31), followed by Cymbopogon jwarancusa (0.29), Cassia senna, and Cynodon dactylon (0.28 each). On the basis of the RPL index, Cenchrus setiger, Cymbopogon jwarancusa, Cassia senna, Cynodon dactylon, Calotropis procera, Citrullus colocynthis, Panicum antidotale, Capparis deciduas, Zizyphus numularia, Cenchrus ciliaris, Sporobolus ioclados, Avera javanica, Cenchrus biflorus, and Euphorbia caducifolia were found to be the most popular species in the study area. Traditional health practitioners, elderly community members, and farmers are the only ones who know about the traditional healthcare system. The current research contributes greatly to the conservation of traditional plant-based knowledge. However, the pharmacological and phytochemical studies of popular plant species could lead to the production of novel drugs to cure human and animal health issues.
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