Evaluation of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants from Tall Dardyal Hills, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevanceHigh population density, economic burden, scarcity of modern health facilities and increasing cost of modern drugs required the inhabitants of the remote areas to rely on indigenous medicinal flora. This report documents the quantitative estimation of indigenous medicinal plants of Tall Dardyal Hills, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Materials and methodsRapid Appraisal Approach (RAA) together with the semi-structured questionnaire technique was used to collect data from June 2014 to July 2015 and relative importance of reported medicinal plants was shown by calculating the use value and frequency of citation. Results and discussionsA total of 71 medicinal plants belonging to 48 families were reported to be effective against 40 human ailments. Rosaceae was the predominant plant family contributing maximum number of medicinal plants to the medicinal flora of that area. Indigofera heterantha, Artemisia vulgaris, Berberis lycium, Aesculus indica, Juglans regia, Ajuga integrifolia, Thymus linearis and Paeonia emodi exhibited the highest usage value among other reported medicinal plants. ConclusionQuantitative analysis indicated that medicinal plants are an integral part of the life of the inhabitants. Local flora is recognised as highly valuable and is reported to be used against various ailments. Most commonly reported diseases were arthritis, kidney stone, typhoid fever, stomach problems, hepatitis, jaundice and diabetes. Among these aliments, the most common in the study area were stomach disorders, diabetes and kidney stones. The possible cause of kidney stones may be the food habits of the inhabitants, as the locals prefer vegetables like spinach that contain high amounts of oxalate.