Ethnobotanical Documentation of Traditional Knowledge about Medicinal Plants used by Indigenous People in Talash Valley of Dir Lower, Northern Pakistan

Abstract

Aim Background: The indigenous communities of the Talash Valley district Dir Lower, in Northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan depends on ethnomedicine for their basic health care. The aim of this survey was to identify, collect, and document significantly distinguishable ethnomedicinal plants and their ethnopharmacological application among the indigenous communities of the Talash Valley, Dir Lower, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: Open-ended and semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, inquiries and group discussion were conducted from March 2014 to September 2015 to obtain ethnobotanical data from the local herbalist and elder villagers. Quantitatively, the ethnobotanical data were analyzed by using indices, Use Value (UV), Relative frequency of citation (RFC), and Informant Agreement Ratio (IAR). Results: The study identified a total of 50 medicinal plant species belonging to 33 botanical families and 46 genera in the seventeen villages. Lamiaceae with 6 species is the dominant family, and herbs (68%) the main sources of herbal formulations. Leaves (41%) are the main parts for ethnomedicine, and 32% of drug orally administrated in the form of decoction. Conclusion: The Talash Valley is rich in its medicinal plant's flora and the associated traditional knowledge. Ethnomedicine plays an important role in the local healthcare system. The finding of new medicinal uses, recipes; vernacular plant names, using new morphological parts, and harvesting method in the current study show the importance of the documentation of plant resources and ethnobotanical knowledge. We suggest and recommend that documented plants to be screen for further ethnopharmacological studies.