Ethnomedicinal study of plants utilized in pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum healthcare in Kashmir Himalaya

Abstract

IntroductionWomen residing in the remote villages are entirely dependent on medicinal plant resources against a variety of disorders due to the unavailability of modern health resources. The study aimed (i) to explore the indigenous knowledge regarding the utilization of medicinal plants during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum healthcare (ii) and to carry out the preliminary phytochemical analysis of selected important plants species. Till date none of the previous studies have investigated this topic in the study region. MethodsThe ethnomedicinal information was gathered using semi-structured interviews and group discussions by standard questionnaires. All the collected data was analyzed by Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity Level (FL), and on this basis 16 medicinal plants were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. ResultsThe current research reported 134 medicinal plants of 55 families being utilized in pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum healthcare. Asteraceae was reported to be the dominant family with 9.7% species contribution. The ICF value was reported in the range of 0.62 and 0.82, with the highest of 0.82 for complications predominantly related to the puerperium. The highest FL (86%) was reported for Dipsacus inermis. On the other hand, various secondary metabolites (carbohydrates, flavonoids, alkaloids, phytosterols, glycosides, tannins, phenols, proteins, diterpenes and aminoacids), were also reported. ConclusionThese findings specify that indigenous utilization of traditional herbal medicine is a well-established practice in Kashmir valley. However, plants were reported to be used unsustainably. Keeping in view the toxicity, pharmacological mechanisms of action and efficacy, we recommend more research on these medicinal plants to expand and enhance regional maternity and delivery care.