The objective of present study was to document and preserve ethnomedicinal knowledge use to treat different human ailments by traditional healers of Dera Ismail Khan region, Pakistan. Field work was conducted between February 2012 and January 2013 using semistructured questionnaires. Data was collected from 120 traditional healers through questionnaire survey. Traditional healers in the study area use 70 plant species mostly herbs (57%) for ethnomedicinal and other purposes. The highest FIC values (0.80) were obtained each for gastrointestinal and kidney problems followed by respiratory infections (0.72) and skin infections (0.73). There was a significant correlation (
Medicinal plants have important contributions in the healthcare system of local communities as the main source of medicine for the majority of the rural population [
In the early 1950s, up to 84% of Pakistani population was dependent on indigenous medicines for traditional health practices [
The present study was aimed at investigating the traditional utilization of plants of Dera Ismail Khan District located in the north-west region of Pakistan. The study area is the part of the country’s richest biodiversity centre and a source of ethnobotanical knowledge. Very few ethnobotanical studies have been conducted in this region. The main objectives of the present study were (i) to identify and explore plant species that are used locally for the treatment and prevention of various diseases, (ii) to document traditional recipes from medicinal plants including methods of preparation, dosage, and modes of administration, (iii) to select candidate medicinal plant species of high priority for phytochemical and pharmacological analyses in our subsequent studies, and (iv) to assess the plants conservation issues of the study area.
The present study was carried out in the Dera Ismail Khan often abbreviated to D. I. Khan, which is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan (Figure
Map of the study area.
Field work was carried out between February 2012 and January 2013. A total of eight field visits were made in four different seasons for data collection. Each visit lasted over 20 days in the field. A total of 120 informants were selected on the basis of information provided by the local administrator and elder people of the study region. Ethnic groups including
Plant samples were collected from the field and were dried and compressed in newspapers. Newspapers were changed daily until they remained dry after compression. Identification of plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr. Waheed Murad and Dr. Azizullah of Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan. Scientific names, family names, and publication authors were corrected according to the flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [
Data was organized and analyzed using Microsoft Excel software. The habits of the plants were categorized into three groups, that is, herbs, shrubs, and trees, using available literature [
Descriptive statistics were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical data. Based on the information obtained from the informants, the ailments reported were grouped into a total of 11 categories. The FIC results could be useful in prioritizing medicinal plants for further scientific validation of plants and plant products [
Data on use diversity of multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by direct matrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton [
This statistical test was applied between the age of the respondents and number of plants known to them. The test was carried out using SPSS [
Among the 120 informants, 50 (41.5%) were male and 70 (58.5%) were female. The largest proportion of the respondents was of the elderly, above 40 years old (Table
Gender, age group, literacy level frequencies, and occupation of the interviewed people in the region.
Total | Percentage | |
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Gender | ||
Male | 50 | 41.5 |
Female | 70 | 58.5 |
Age groups | ||
21–29 | 2 | 1.6 |
30–39 | 8 | 6 |
40–49 | 22 | 18.3 |
50–59 | 21 | 18 |
60–69 | 23 | 19.1 |
70–79 | 27 | 22.5 |
80–89 | 17 | 14.1 |
Educational attainment | ||
Illiterate | 63 | 52.5 |
Primary | 31 | 25.8 |
Middle | 16 | 13.3 |
Secondary | 7 | 5.8 |
University | 3 | 2.5 |
Occupation | ||
Females | ||
Housewives | 63 | 90 |
Primary teacher | 7 | 10 |
Males | ||
Shopkeepers | 12 | 24 |
Farmers | 22 | 44 |
Labour | 8 | 16 |
Primary teachers | 8 | 16 |
Comparison between age of the people and number of plants known (Pearson’s correlation (
The present study provides information of ethnomedicinal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and 62 genera (Table
Ethnomedicines of the study area.
Botanical name/voucher specimen number | Local name | Family | Habit/endemism | Status | Part used | Recipes | Dosage |
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Kikar | Mimosaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Bark | Bark is boiled in water and extracted juice is used orally for kidney pain. | Mostly 2 or 3 times a day. |
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Kikar | Mimosaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Wild | Bark and flowers | Bark is boiled in water and the decoction is used dentally. Flowers are tied on affected area. Flowers are boiled in mustard oil; the oil is applied to head. | For dental purposes, it is used twice a day for 10 days, while for others it is used as needed. |
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Sirsirin | Mimosaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Seeds | Seeds are ground to make powder and strained through fine cloth (having small pores). Equal quantities of the strained powder and sugar are mixed. This is an effective phytotherapy taken orally for asthma. | 4 g of this mixed powder is used twice a day for a period of 40 days. |
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Piaz | Liliaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Bulb | Grind the bulb of onion and mix it with water and it is taken orally for vomiting. | One dose is enough for vomiting. |
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Garlic | Liliaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Bulb and leaves | Bulb pieces are regularly used for high blood pressure. Leaves and bulb are chewed for vomiting. | As needed. |
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Kunwar | Liliaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild/cultivated | Pulp of Leaves | Two leaves are made spineless and each one is divided length-wise into 2 or 3 slices. These slices of leaves along with common salt are given orally to the animals. Pulp is directly applied on burned skin. | Usually 3 doses are given each after 48 hours and also depend on disease severity. |
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Jou | Poaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | Partly ripen fruit is ground and mixed with some sugar and cold water to make syrup and is taken orally as laxative. | As needed. |
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Neem | Meliaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Wild/cultivated | Leaves | 3 gm of leaves is crushed and mixed with water and common salt to make syrup and used orally for curing jaundice. | Two spoons of syrup are used in the morning after breakfast and in the evening before meal. |
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Chukandar | Chenopodiaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Root | Powder is used orally to treat diabetes. | As needed. |
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Akra | Asclepiadaceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Wild | Latex and flowers | Plant latex is applied externally on the region of snake bite and 5–8 flowers are used at a time with water for intestinal pain. | 2-3 times daily for 5 days for intestinal pain. |
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Kareeta | Capparidaceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Wild | Fruit, Young shoots, and bark | Equal amounts of dried fruit and sugar are ground to make powder ( |
One teaspoon of powder is taken with a glass of water twice a day for a week for rheumatism. |
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Green mirch | Solanaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | Fresh and unripe fruit is eaten for cancer. | As needed. |
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Chunga | Apocynaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | Cook it as simple vegetable for diabetics control and also it is eaten directly for many purposes. | As needed. |
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Bathu | Chenopodiaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Leaves and root. | Extract the juice from their leaves which is taken orally as a laxative. Dried leaves paste is used for urinary pain. | As needed. |
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Channa | Papilionaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruits and seeds | 25 gm of seed coat (testa) of roasted grams is soaked in 250 g of water at night and crushed in the morning and strained. The strained water is taken orally. This phytotherapy is considered to be useful for constipation. | As needed. |
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Kasni | Asteraceae | Herb/ | Wild | Whole plant | Fresh plants are boiled and sugar is added to decoction to form syrup and used orally for stomach. | Syrup used twice a day for a period as needed. |
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Leh | Asteraceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Leaves | Extract of leaves used for abdominal pain of cattle. | As needed. |
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Karthuma | Cucurbitaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Fruit | Crush the dried fruit and make |
As needed. |
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Nimbo | Rutaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruits and leaves | Fruit extract is mixed with water, salt, and sugar and used orally to control blood pressure and vomiting. Fruit extract is mixed with honey and fresh milk to make its paste and applied on face for pimples. | For skin the paste is used at night for one month; for other purposes, it is used as needed. |
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Gandi booti | Capparidaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | Plants dried under shade are ground to make powder. The pure powder is used orally for abdominal pain. | As needed. |
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Wanvehri | Convolvulaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | 5 kg plants, dried under shade, are mixed with 12 liters of water at night to make syrup and used orally for skin diseases. | In the morning one cup of this water is used on empty stomach or is used thrice a day for a period as needed. |
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Lasora | Boraginaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Wild | Fruit | Eating of fruit, as needed, before meal is recommended for the treatment of masculine sexual weakness. | As needed. |
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Dhania | Apiaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Leaves and fruits | About 50 g of dried fruit is boiled in one liter of water till half of the water is left. The decoction is used for asthma and cough. Fresh leaves are ground with mint to make powder and used orally for diuretic purposes. | Depends upon disease severity. |
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Kheera | Cucurbitaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruits | During severe fever their pieces are rubbed on the sole of the feet and also good for digestion. | As required. |
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Loot booti | Convolvulaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | Plants are dried and burnt. The ash is applied to the affected area. | As needed. |
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Khawi | Poaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Root | Upper parts of the roots are boiled in water. The water is strained and is given orally to the children along with sugar for dyspepsia and typhoid. | 2-3 times daily. |
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Gajar | Apiaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Root | Edible portion increases sight vision. | As needed. |
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Tali | Fabaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Leaves | 70 g of young leaves of buds is crushed. One glass of water is added to it and strained. This is useful for piles, jaundice, and the feeling of hotness in sole of the feet. | The strained water is taken daily and continued for 10 days. |
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Datura | Solanaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | Roost their leaves and inhale their smoke for the treatment of asthma. Their seeds are used as expectorant, and do not eat it in excess amount; otherwise it will be lethal. | As needed. |
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Usoo | Brassicaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Aerial parts | 5 kg young branches along with leaves are boiled in 15 kg water and decoction is obtained. Then 5 kg millet flour is mixed with the decoction and is given orally to the horses. | As needed. |
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Safeda | Myrtaceae | Tree/non endemic | Cultivated | Leaf and bark | Tender shoot and young leaves are crushed and their smell gives temporary relief in cough. | As needed. |
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Jaman | Myrtaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Bark and fruit | Dry the nonedible portion of their fruit and then grind it and take 1-2 spoons daily for 3 days; it will stop the severe stomach problems, and also this powder is used for the treatment of diabetics. | Twice a day. |
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Dhaman | Zygophyllaceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | Plant is crushed and decoction is taken with water for piles and urinary infection. | 1 teaspoon of powder is taken with bread thrice a day. |
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Bohir, bargad | Moraceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | Fruit, dried under shade, is ground to form powder. This powder is used orally to treat abdominal pain. | Taken with water twice in day. |
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Anjeer | Moraceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | 2–4 figs (fruit) are soaked in water or milk at night and used in the morning on empty stomach. This is considered to be very effective for the treatment of piles. Fruit is used to remove kidney stone. | Used in the morning on empty stomach for 10 days. |
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Peepal | Moraceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit and bark | Burn the bark and make powder from this coal bark and take orally 5 grams of it with water for diarrhoea. Fruit is used for wound healing. | As needed. |
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Saunf | Apiaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | Equal quantities of fennel fruit, coriander fruit, and sugar are mixed and ground together to make powder and recommended as carminative. Fennel fruit, fresh mint leaves, and green tea are boiled used for vomiting. | The powder is used twice a day after meal as carminative and for vomiting and for menses pain the mixture is used twice a day. |
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Phalsa | Tiliaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Leaves, fruit, and bark | 1 kg fruit is crushed with fingers in 1 liter of water and then strained. Sugar is added to the strained juice to make syrup. The syrup is taken orally for blood purifying, fever, and gastrointestinal disorders. | As needed. |
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Suraj mukhi | Asteraceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Cultivated | Seeds, leaves, and flowers | Leaves and seeds are crushed and used orally and dermally against fever and other purposes. | For 2 days. |
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Peepat Booti | Boraginaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | The plant is crushed to make paste. The paste is applied as poultice to the affected area. | For 3 days. |
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Cha mbeli | Oleaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Whole plant | Juice of whole plant is prepared and used orally against heart diseases and diabetes. | As needed. |
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Mehndi | Lythraceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Leaves | Leaves are crushed and paste is applied on soles and hairs. | As needed. |
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Karela | Cucurbitaceae | Herb/ nonendemic | Cultivated | Leaf, flower, and fruits | Leaves are crushed and boiled and taken as tea; some salt is also mixed and used for skin diseases and blood purification. Fruit is used as vegetable and used for diabetics. | As needed. |
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Podina | Lamiaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Leaves | Fresh leaves of mint, |
As needed. |
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Sohanjna | Moringaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Whole plant | Cut their root and boil it in water and after that add milk to this water and drink it which breaks the kidney stone. | As needed. |
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Toot | Moraceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | Eat their fruits which provide the energy to the heart. | As needed. |
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Mazri | Palmae | Shrub/nonendemic | Wild/cultivated | Leaves | Mostly their leaves are boiled and then this juice is used orally for carminative and veterinary treatment. | |
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Niazbo | Lamiaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Seeds and leaves | Fresh leaves of mint, niazbo, fennel fruit, and green tea are boiled and used for gastrointestinal and respiratory infections. | As needed. |
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Khatti boti | Oxalidaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | Extract of whole plant is used orally for blood purification. | As needed. |
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Harmal | Zygophyllaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Leaves and seeds | A small quantity of harmala seeds along with small quantity of table salt is taken with water for a few days as expectorant. | Dose depends on disease severity. |
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Khajoor | Palmae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Leaflets (spines) | The lowest leaflets (spines) of compound leaf are crushed and boiled. The strained water is taken orally for general pain. | As needed. |
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Ispaghula | Plantaginaceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Wild | Seeds | 12 gm seeds are taken with milk at night for constipation. 12 gm seeds, sugar, and 1 glass of water are mixed and shaken well to cure jaundice. | Twice a day. |
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Karaveera | Polygonaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | Plants are crushed to form paste; the paste is used as poultice on the affected area daily for 3 days. | For a period of three days. |
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Lunrak | Portulacaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Seeds | Equal amounts of seeds of |
10 gm powder is taken with water twice a day. |
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Anar | Punicaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | Crush the dried fruit and mix this |
Mostly twice a day. |
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Mooli | Brassicaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Roots and edible parts | Paste of root is formed and used for skin infections. | Two times a day. |
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Hernoli | Euphorbiaceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Wild | Leaves and fruit | Heat the leaves and fruits and then they release the oil which is leaped on the desired place or organs where pain is felt. | As needed. |
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Gulab | Rosaceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Cultivated | Flower | Fresh petals are mixed with sugar to make |
As needed. |
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Kana | Poaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Leaves | Ash of the leaves is mixed with water, and after an hour it will settle down in the bottom. The strained water is given to the animals suffering from “urine retention” disease. | As needed. |
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Jal | Salvadoraceae | Tree/nonendemic | Wild | Fruit | 250 gm of fruits is placed in a clayey pot and its mouth is closed in order to prevent the entrance of water in the pot. The pot is placed in a bucket of water for a night. The fruit is used in the morning on empty stomach. Eating of fruit of water melon before or after the eating of Salvadoran fruit is useful. | For one week. |
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Peelu | Salvadoraceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Wild | Bark | Bark is boiled in water, taken as tea, and commonly used as a purifying agent. | As needed. |
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Kandari | Solanaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | The powder of dried fruits is taken with water for a period to treat piles. Fresh plants are boiled in 3 times more water. The water is filtered and mixed with sugar to form syrup and used for eczema and blood purification. | Syrup is used twice a day as needed for a period of for 2 months for treatment. |
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Makko | Solanaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Leaf and fruit | Ripe fruits are directly given orally for constipation; plant paste is formed and applied dermally for headaches and joint pain. Plant juice is used for dysentery and fever. | As needed. |
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Khagal | Tamaricaceae | Shrub/nonendemic | Cultivated | Bark, leaves, and twigs | Ash of the leaves is mixed with water; after half an hour the water is strained (filtered) and boiled. After boiling, the water is evaporated and the salt is left behind. Then 1 gm salt is taken with |
Twice a day for a period as needed for jaundice; for wound healing, it is used for one week. |
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Thuja | Cupressaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Cultivated | Leaves | Boil their leaves in the water and then wash the mouth with this water; it provides rapid relief in dental pain. Fresh leaves are burned and their smoke decreases temperature in fever. | As needed. |
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Bhakra, Gokhru | Zygophyllaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Fruit | The fruit is crushed and dried. Sugar, as needed, is mixed with the dried powder and is used orally for urinary infection. | Four times in a day for 3 months. |
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Makhanr booti | Violaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Whole plant | The whole plant, along with seeds, is ground to make powder and used for sexual purpose. | 2 g powder is used with 1 teaspoon butter early in the morning on empty stomach as needed. |
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Akri | Solanaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Wild | Fruit | Five to six dried fruits are soaked in 2-3 cups of water at night; in the morning the soaked fruits are squeezed and the water is strained and used for blood purification. One dried fruit is kept in teeth keeping pain. Five to six fruits are taken with water like tablet for abdominal pain. | One cup of water is used on empty stomach for blood purification. And for other purposes, it depends upon disease severity. |
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Makkai | Poaceae | Herb/nonendemic | Cultivated | Fruit | Dry fruit is crushed and made into flour which is used for digestion. | As needed. |
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Ber | Rhamnaceae | Tree/nonendemic | Wild/cultivated | Leaves and fruits | Eat their fruit which is helpful in treatment of diarrhoea as well as in blood purification. Paste of leaves is used for hair growth. | As needed. |
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Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicine by the traditional healers (Figure
Informant consensus factor
Use categories | Plant species | Number of taxa (Nt) | Number of use reports (Nur) |
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Gastrointestinal |
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24 | 122 | 0.80 |
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Respiratory |
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7 | 23 | 0.72 |
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Skin infections |
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5 | 16 | 0.73 |
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Fever |
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6 | 14 | 0.61 |
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Wound healing |
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4 | 6 | 0.41 |
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Cardiovascular |
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3 | 7 | 0.66 |
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Jaundice |
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4 | 10 | 0.66 |
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Rheumatism |
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2 | 3 | 0.50 |
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Vomiting |
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5 | 13 | 0.66 |
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Kidney problems |
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8 | 37 | 0.80 |
Medicinal plants part used.
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most of the ethnomedicines in the study area. The dose depends on the traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinal purpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity. The dosage of certain plants in the region varied according to the type of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (e.g., for treatment of jaundice using syrup prepared from
About 11 disease categories were identified from the investigated region. The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal (0.80), respiratory (0.72), skin infections (0.73) and kidney problems (0.80) (Table
Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species.
Use diversity |
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Total | Rank |
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Fuel | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
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1 |
Medicinal | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
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1 |
Fodder | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
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2 |
Agricultural tools | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
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3 |
Construction | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
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3 |
Food | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
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4 |
Total |
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Rank | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Based on use criteria (5 = best; 4 = very good; 3 = good; 2 = less used; 1 = least used; 0 = no value).
The present study provides information on 70 medicinal plants used in the study area by local traditional healers. The study revealed that the people of the region have been using plant resources for their various ailments. The local people know the useful plants and preparation of recipes through personal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility [
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families of Solanaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Moraceae could be attributed to their wider distribution and abundance in the flora area [
Present study elucidates that the herbs are the major growth form used in the region for curing human diseases followed by trees. A high usage of herbs in some studies could be an indication of their abundance, easy availability, and centuries-old traditional knowledge of the healers. The trend of using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageous as it is easier to cultivate them when they are short in supply. According to our study, most of the medicinal plants are being cultivated in the region. The high proportion of woody plants in our survey is likely associated with the ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons, thus resulting in their abundance and year-round availability in arid and semiarid areas. Thus the variation in medicinal plants growth form might be associated with different sociocultural beliefs, ecological status, and variation in practices of traditional healers of different regions or countries.
The healers of the region mostly used ethnomedicines in decoction form. The medicinal plant decoctions for various ailments might be related to their proven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenous knowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparations. Additives (milk, butter, boiled coffee, and food) that are commonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport the remedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness, vomiting, and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatable. The finding is in line with other studies indicating that the oral route is the most preferred mode of administration [
The highest number of plant species and highest FIC value were reported for gastrointestinal, respiratory, kidney, and skin infections. This may be related to a high prevalence of these ailments. Gastrointestinal disorders and respiratory infections, particularly cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, cough, asthma, and bronchitis, are a major concern not only in the study area but also in the whole country and result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly [
In our study the lowest FIC value below 0.05 was only recorded for wound healing category, which would typically result from plant use to treat rare diseases; however all other diseases have FIC value above 0.05, suggesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant species commonly used to treat common human ailments in the study areas. The high FIC value medicinal plants contain variety of bioactive compounds and many of them have been scientifically proved by various studies. For example the natives of the region are using a large of number of plants like
The output of a DMR showed the highest values (ranks) for a number of multipurpose medicinal plants of the study area such as
It was observed during research study that the knowledgeable women were more concentrated as compared to the men of this region of Pakistan. Generally, gender-based differences in medicinal plant knowledge can be derived from experience and degree of cultural contact with curative plants [
In conclusion, D. I. Khan has plenty of medicinal plants and the people of the region are highly dependent on these plants for medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposes. The people of the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regarding the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinal remedies. Moreover, they are using some medicinal plants for multipurpose and posing great pressures on certain medicinal plants like
I…(name of informant) hereby give my full consent and conscious to participate in this study and declare that to the best of my knowledge the information that I have provided is true, accurate, and complete.
Date…(signature/thumb impression of informant).
Name. Gender. Age. Ethnicity. Occupation. Education. Location/residence.
Number of plants known. Names of plants (local names). Plant part used. Cultivated/wild. Name of disease(s) treated. Name of plants used for specific disease categories. Method of crude drug preparation. Use of single or mixture of plants. Mode of administration. Dosage.
Name of plants used against disease category 1. Name of plants used against disease category 2. Name of plants used against disease category 3. Name of plants used against disease category 4. Name of plants used against disease category 5. Name of plants used against disease category 6. Name of plants used against disease category 7. Name of plants used against disease category 8. Name of plants used against disease category 9. Name of plants used against disease category 10.
Number of plants having NTFPs uses. Name of plants (local names). NTFPs uses.
Plant identified as——(botanical name and family).
Signature of researcher
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University, Riyadh, for funding the work through the research group Project no. RGP-VPP-210.