PJB-2025-37
ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF SOME FOLK MEDICINAL PLANTS OF CUCURBITACEAE FAMILY USED BY THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF DISTRICT THARPARKAR, SINDH
Quratulain Khuhro
Abstract
The indigenous people of Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan, own unique ethnobotanical knowledge of Cucurbitaceae medicinal plants, which is passed down orally through generations without documentation, thus it is at risk of being lost. In this study the ethnobotanical data of Cucurbitaceae plants was collected through field visits using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed through the relative frequency of citation, use value, informant consensus factor, fidelity level and relative importance. A total of eight plant species were documented. Among those Citrullus colocynthis ranked the top-most (25.4%), followed by Citrullus lanatus (22.3%), and Cucumis melo (14.5%). Fruits (64.4%) and seeds (22.9%) were commonly used plant parts. These plants were used to treat 44 health conditions, including gastrointestinal, renal, and respiratory disorders. Momordica charantia showed highest relative frequency of citation (0.164), while Citrullus colocynthis showed the highest use value (2.4) and relative importance (2.0). Citrullus lanatus and Praecitrullus fistulosus had the highest informant consensus factor (0.857). Citrullus colocynthis and Momordica charantia were commonly used to treat diabetes, gastrointestinal, and respiratory disorders. These findings highlight the need for pharmacological research to validate the therapeutic potential of Cucurbitaceae folk plants in Tharparkar.
Keywords: Ethnobotanical knowledge; Folk plants; Diabetes; Respiratory diseases; Therapeutic potential.
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