Abstract
BackgroundNorth-West of Pakistan is bestowed with medicinal plant resources due to diverse geographical and habitat conditions. The traditional use of plants for curing various diseases forms an important part of the region’s cultural heritage. The study was carried out to document medicinal plants used in Frontier Region (FR) Bannu, an area affected by the “War on Terror”.MethodsFieldwork was carried out in four different seasons (spring, autumn, summer and winter) from March 2012 to February 2013. Data on medicinal plants was collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaires from 250 respondents. The voucher specimens were collected, processed and identified following standard methods.ResultsOf the 107 species of ethnomedicinal plants reported, fifty percent species are herbaceous. The majority of the reported species were wild (55%) but a substantial proportion are cultivated (29%). For most of the plant species (34%), leaves are the most commonly used part in the preparation of ethnomedicines. The most common use of species is for carminative purposes (14 species), with the next most common use being for blood purification (11 species). The main methods used in the preparation of ethnomedicinal recipes involves grinding and boiling, and nearly all the remedies are taken orally along with ingredients such as water, milk or honey for ease of ingestion. Traditional healers prepare plant remedies using one or more plants. There was a significant correlation (r2 = 0.95) between the age of local people and the number of plants known to them, which indicates that in the coming 20 years, an approximate decrease of 75% in the indigenous knowledge may be expected.ConclusionTraditional medicines are important to the livelihoods of rural communities in the region affected by the Global war on Terrorism. The medicinal recipes are indigenous; however, there is a threat to their future use on account of rapid modernization and terrorist activities. Documentation of medicinal plants and recipes may help in the conservation of the regional indigenous medicinal knowledge for future generations and to provide a baseline for further studies.
Highlights
Plants have been used as folk medicine all over the world for centuries [1] and indigenous communities have developed their own specific knowledge on plant resources, uses, management and conservation [2]
Medicinal plants represent a significant contribution to human health and it has been suggested that their use is one of the most significant ways in which humans directly reap the benefits provided from biodiversity [27]
Traditional medicines serve as an integral source of rural livelihood in the study region in northwestern Pakistan, which is severely affected by armed conflict in the so-called War on Terror
Summary
Plants have been used as folk medicine all over the world for centuries [1] and indigenous communities have developed their own specific knowledge on plant resources, uses, management and conservation [2]. People collect about 600 medicinal plant species as one of the major non-timber forest products (NTFPs) [9]. Of these species, 500 are commonly used in traditional healthcare practices and 350 are traded for millions of US dollars to national and international markets [10]. About 60,000 traditional practitioners (Hakeems) in rural and remote areas utilize medicinal plants as household remedies for curing several diseases [11]. Local communities have centuries of traditional knowledge and practice relating to plants of their regions that have been transmitted from generation to generation [12]. The study was carried out to document medicinal plants used in Frontier Region (FR) Bannu, an area affected by the “War on Terror”
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