Abstract
K. Ullah*, G.M. Shah, J. Alam and M. Hussain
Background: Communities of the valley may cause restricted health conveniences and nutrient deficit, often caused various human disorders. Since centuries, however, the local communities in these areas have developed traditional method of treating various sickness and local food capes that can be significance for public health and nutrient facilities. However lack of herbal based research and geographical restrictions, the traditional knowledge is in risk. So this study is the first was intended to document the traditional knowledge in of the local people in the Shishikoh valley, Chitral Northern Pakistan.
Method: Ethno-botanical data were collected over a period from July, 2016 to October, 2017 from respondents, by using semi structured questionnaire. Details about the local uses of plants species were documentalong with demographic characterestics of the visit communities. Quantitative indices such as relative frequency citation (RFCs), fidelity level (FL) tools were intended to evaluate the cultural importance of the reported species.
Results: In total 50 plant species belonging to 34 families and 48 genera were recorded. Fabaceae was dominant with 7 species, followed by Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Rosacea (6 species each). Leaves, root, flowers, seeds and fruits were the frequently utilized plant parts, whereas among drug formulations, decoction (49%) was ranked first. Majority of the plant species were used to treat abdominal, respiratory and dermal ailments (31, 12 and 12, respectively). RFCs value ranged 0.477 to 0.11 for Tanacetum falconeri and Allium carolinianum, respectively; while Hippophe rhamnoides and Thymus linearis depicted 100% FL. Comparative assessment with previous reports revealed that traditional uses of 26% plant species counting Hedyserum falconeri, Aconitum violoceum var. weileri, Arnebia guttata, Biebersteinia odora, Clematis alpine var. sibirica, Corydalis adiantifolia and Saussurea simpsoniana were reported for the first time.
Conclusion: The mountainous valley in the Northern Pakistan host significance traditional knowledge of local food and homoeopathic plant species, which need to reevaluated and reconsider by pharmacologist and health community. Additionally, the livelihood could be reinforced through launching collection sites, revolution and freshening centers for marketing of medicinal plant species.