TITLE:
Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants of Semi-Tribal Area of Makerwal & Gulla Khel (Lying between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab Provinces), Pakistan
AUTHORS:
Amin Shah, Sarfaraz Khan Marwat, Faryal Gohar, Ameer Khan, Khizar Hayat Bhatti, Muhammad Amin, Noor Ud Din, Mushtaq Ahmad, Muhammad Zafar
KEYWORDS:
Ethnobotanical Study; Medicinal Plants; Makerwal & Gulla Khel; Pakistan
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
31,
2013
ABSTRACT: This paper is based on the results of an ethnomedicinal research work conducted in the semi-tribal mountainous area lying between District Mianwali (PunjabProvince) and District Karak (KhyberPakhtunkhwaProvince),Pakistanduring June 2009-July 2011. During field survey, questionnaires were used to interview the local inhabitants of the area. The ethnomedicinal data consists of 131 plant species (2 Pteridophytes, 7 Monocots, 122 Dicots) belonging to 48 families (2 Pteridophytes, 4 Monocots, 42 Dicots). The most commonly represented families were Amaranthaceae (9 spp.), Mimosaceae (8 spp.), Asteraceae and Papilionaceae (7 spp.) each; Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Scrophulariaceae (6 spp.) each, followed by Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Lamiaceae and Polygonaceae (5 spp.) each. Plant specimens were identified, preserved and vouchers were deposited in the Plant Taxonomy Lab. of Department of Biological Sciences,University of Sargodha,Pakistanfor future reference. The data collected through interviews with the local people indicates that these species are mostly used in respiratory tract infections (RTI), urinary tract infections (UTI), digestive disorders, sexual problems, skin diseases, liver ailments, wound healing, blood vomiting, malaria, piles, epilepsy, jaundice, gummosis, round worms, hepatitis etc. in the area. Due to lack of scientific approach regarding harvesting and utilization of this valuable medicinal flora, many plants are quickly going towards extinction; therefore, further work is needed to create awareness in the community conservation of the precious medicinal plants.