Medicinal Plants and Related Ethnomedicinal Knowledge in the Communities of Khadukhel Tehsil, Buner District, Pakistan

Hammad Ahmad Jan (), Sheikh Zain Ul Abidin, Muhammad Zeeshan Bhatti, Latif Ahmad, Abdulaziz Khalaf Alghamdi and Huda Mohammed Alkreathy ()
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Hammad Ahmad Jan: Department of Botany, Islamia College, Peshawar 19002, Pakistan
Sheikh Zain Ul Abidin: Institute of Biological Sciences (Botany Program), Gomal University, D. I. Khan 29220, Pakistan
Muhammad Zeeshan Bhatti: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan
Latif Ahmad: Department of Botany, Women University Swabi, Baja 23430, Pakistan
Abdulaziz Khalaf Alghamdi: Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 23218, Saudi Arabia
Huda Mohammed Alkreathy: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 23218, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 20, 1-37

Abstract: The local communities of Pakistan have vast traditional knowledge about local medicinal plants that is centuries old and transferred from generation to generation, but now, the survival of this precious ethnic knowledge is threatened. This study aimed to document the ethnomedicinal information residing within the communities of the Khadukhel Tehsil, Buner District, Pakistan. To conserve this valuable traditional knowledge, data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, one-on-one interviews, and group discussions. From 2018 to 2021, 853 people were interviewed regarding 317 plant species. Most of the ethnomedicinal data were obtained from members of the 60–69 age group. The most dominant plant family was Asteraceae (27 sp.). Leaves (124 sp.) were the most dominant plant part used in medicines, and paste (80 sp.) was the most common herbal formulation method. Most (88) medicinal plants were used to cure digestive system diseases. The collected medicinal plants and related indigenous medicinal knowledge were compared with previously published work on the surrounding areas. We suggest a phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation of the collected medicinal plants for the discovery of new drugs.

Keywords: ethnopharmacology; local perception; conserving knowledge; Northern Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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