Medicinal plant diversity of Hindubag Mountain, Lalku valley, district Swat

Abstract

Background: Continuous studies and surveys on medicinal plants used by local communities in different parts of the world are needed for the documentation of local knowledge and for the potential development of modern pharmaceuticals. This study aimed at the documentation of knowledge about medicinal plant diversity in northern Pakistan and was conducted during summer 2018. During the survey, it was found that medicinal plants still are of paramount importance for everyday life of the local population and are extensively used for medicinal purposes. Methods: By using semi-structured interviews, medicinal information was collected from 150 respondents in the area. The respondents involved in the interview were mostly older people, but young people and children were also included in the interviews. During the interviews the information about plants used by the local population for medicinal purposes was collected. Results: The current study found 53 medicinal plants of 38 genera, belonging to 25 families. The medicinally dominant family were Ranunculaceae with 9 species, followed by Rosaceae 7 species, and Primulaceae with 5 species. Hakims in the area had higher knowledge about medicinal plants than other members of the population. Similarly, elders had more knowledge than younger people, and children and women showed less knowledge than men in the community. Conclusion: The present study revealed that traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is still very common in the study area. The majority of the species used were still known to most people, but overexploitation and overgrazing are detrimental for the maintenance of plant life biodiversity. The current study suggests that there is a need to create awareness and understanding of plant management the area in order to ensure proper collection and to control overgrazing. These measures would help to ensure protection of the available medicinal herb diversity.