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Research ArticleUse of Ethnomedicinal Plants by the People Livingaround Indus River
Sakina Mussarat1 Nasser M AbdEl-Salam2 Akash Tariq1
Sultan Mehmood Wazir3 Riaz Ullah4 and Muhammad Adnan1
1 Department of Botany Kohat University of Science and Technology Kohat-26000 Pakistan2 Arriyadh Community College King Saud University Arriyadh-11437 Saudi Arabia3 Department of Botany University of Science and Technology Bannu-28100 Pakistan4Department of Chemistry Government College Ara Khel FR Kohat-26000 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan
Correspondence should be addressed to Muhammad Adnan ghurzanghotmailcom
Received 20 November 2013 Revised 1 January 2014 Accepted 10 February 2014 Published 20 March 2014
Academic Editor John R S Tabuti
Copyright copy 2014 Sakina Mussarat et alThis is an open access article distributed under theCreativeCommonsAttribution Licensewhich permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited
The objective of present study was to document and preserve ethnomedicinal knowledge use to treat different human ailmentsby traditional healers of Dera Ismail Khan region Pakistan Field work was conducted between February 2012 and January 2013using semistructured questionnaires Data was collected from 120 traditional healers through questionnaire survey Traditionalhealers in the study area use 70 plant species mostly herbs (57) for ethnomedicinal and other purposes The highest FIC values(080) were obtained each for gastrointestinal and kidney problems followed by respiratory infections (072) and skin infections(073) There was a significant correlation (1199032 = 0950 119901 lt 001) between the age and traditional knowledge of respondent Directmatrix ranking indicated Morus alba and Dalbergia sissoo as highly multipurpose and threatened species in the study area Theresults showed high dependency of local inhabitants on medicinal plants in meeting their primary health care needs Moreoverthe traditional knowledge has been restricted to elder people Protection measures should be taken in order to conserve preciousmultipurpose species that are facing overexploitation Medicinal plants treating major ailments in the region may be subjected tophytochemical and pharmacological investigations for the identification of bioactive compounds
1 Introduction
Medicinal plants have important contributions in the health-care system of local communities as the main source ofmedicine for the majority of the rural population [1] Out ofthe total 422000 flowering plants reported from the worldmore than 50000 are used for medicinal purposes [2] About60 of the world population and 80 of the population ofdeveloping countries rely on traditional medicine Accordingto Bhat et al [3] more than 45 billion people in thedeveloping world rely on medicinal plants as components oftheir healthcareThe highest popularity of medicinal plant inrural areas is due to high cost of allopathic drugs and sideeffects [4]
In the early 1950s up to 84 of Pakistani population wasdependent on indigenous medicines for traditional healthpractices [5] but now this is practiced only in the remote rural
areas [6] Due to modernization people are getting far fromthis treasure and this knowledge is eroding at a much fasterrate [7] Ethnobotanical studies in various areas of Pakistanhave been carried out [8ndash12] It is believed that such studiescan constitute the starting point for the development of newdrugs and useful substances [13]
The present study was aimed at investigating the tra-ditional utilization of plants of Dera Ismail Khan Districtlocated in the north-west region of Pakistan The study areais the part of the countryrsquos richest biodiversity centre anda source of ethnobotanical knowledge Very few ethnob-otanical studies have been conducted in this region Themain objectives of the present study were (i) to identifyand explore plant species that are used locally for the treat-ment and prevention of various diseases (ii) to documenttraditional recipes from medicinal plants including meth-ods of preparation dosage and modes of administration
Hindawi Publishing CorporationEvidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineVolume 2014 Article ID 212634 14 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014212634
2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Figure 1 Map of the study area
(iii) to select candidate medicinal plant species of high pri-ority for phytochemical and pharmacological analyses in oursubsequent studies and (iv) to assess the plants conservationissues of the study area
2 Materials and Methods
21 Study Area The present study was carried out in theDera Ismail Khan often abbreviated to D I Khan which isa city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pakistan (Figure 1)D I Khan is with an area 7326 km2 and is situated between31∘151015840 and 32∘321015840N latitude and between 70∘111015840 and 71∘201015840Elongitude [14] Most of the area of the district consists offlat dry alluvial plain commonly known as Daman whichmakes up more than 80 percent of the area where a largenumber of streams and hill torrents discharge water [15] DI Khan supports xerophytic and aquatic vegetation and theirassociated species of wild fauna [16] Dominant plant speciesareAcaciamodesta Acacia nilotica Calotropis proceraMorusalba and Eucalyptus camaldulensisThemaximum and min-imum mean temperature recorded during June is from 42∘Cto 27∘C while in winter season the minimum temperaturerecorded is 20∘C and maximum temperature is 40∘C [17]Precipitation mainly falls in two distinct periods in the latewinter and early spring from February to April and in themonsoon in June and July One of the most famous productsof this district is the ldquoVillage Dhakki daterdquo which is exportedto the Middle East United States and Europe This districtalso produces wheat sugar cane rice and a famous varietyof mangos Most of the population of the area is rural withlow literacy rate and they also lack modern health facilitieshence they are more dependent upon natural resourcesespecially plants for their healthcare and to compensate theirlow income as well
22 Data Collection Field work was carried out betweenFebruary 2012 and January 2013 A total of eight field visitswere made in four different seasons for data collection Eachvisit lasted over 20 days in the field A total of 120 informantswere selected on the basis of information provided by thelocal administrator and elder people of the study region
Table 1 Gender age group literacy level frequencies and occupa-tion of the interviewed people in the region
Total PercentageGender
Male 50 415Female 70 585
Age groups21ndash29 2 1630ndash39 8 640ndash49 22 18350ndash59 21 1860ndash69 23 19170ndash79 27 22580ndash89 17 141
Educational attainmentIlliterate 63 525Primary 31 258Middle 16 133Secondary 7 58University 3 25
OccupationFemales
Housewives 63 90Primary teacher 7 10
MalesShopkeepers 12 24Farmers 22 44Labour 8 16Primary teachers 8 16
Ethnic groups including Marwat Lodhi and Sial inhabitthe study area Marwat and Lodhi are more concentratedand are generally more aware of the traditional knowledgeThe selected healers were well known in the communitydue to their long practice in service provision related totraditional health care The informants were native-born orhad been living in the study area for a long time Prior todata collection group meeting was held with the help ofvillagersquos head in order to explain to the informants (i) themeof present study and (ii) assurance that their knowledgewould be a great contribution in conserving the indigenousknowledge of the area Prior to survey a semistructured ques-tionnaire was designed and pretested with five informantsto find out its suitability for the present study and later onmodified according to response of informants The revisedquestionnaire was used for gathering data from individualinformant about medicinal plants of the study area Thequestionnaire contained no strict questions and informantswere allowed to speak spontaneously and without pressureOur final purpose was to obtain the complete list ofmedicinalplants used andor known by each informant All interviewswere carried out in local language (Saraiki) of the studyarea In addition a total of four focus group discussionswith 30 informants in each group were also designed to gainfurther information on medicinal plants at the community
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3Ta
ble2Ethn
omedicines
ofthes
tudy
area
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Acaciamodesta
Wall
KUH-309
Kikar
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
water
andextractedjuiceis
used
orallyfork
idneypain
Mostly
2or
3tim
esad
ay
Acacianilotica(L)
Delile
KUH-310
Kikar
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Bark
and
flowers
Bark
isbo
iledin
water
andthed
ecoctio
nis
used
dentally
Flow
ersa
retie
don
affected
areaFlowersa
rebo
iledin
mustard
oiltheo
ilisappliedto
head
Ford
entalpurpo
sesitis
used
twicea
dayfor10
daysw
hileforo
thersitis
used
asneeded
Albizialeb
beck
(L)
BenthKU
H-311
Sirsirin
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Seeds
Seedsa
regrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndstrained
throug
hfin
ecloth
(havingsm
all
pores)E
qualqu
antitieso
fthe
strained
powdera
ndsugara
remixedTh
isisan
effectiv
ephytotherapytakenorallyfor
asthma
4gof
thismixed
powder
isused
twicea
dayfora
perio
dof
40days
Alliu
mcepa
LKU
H-312
Piaz
Liliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Bulb
Grin
dtheb
ulbof
onionandmixitwith
water
anditistakenorallyforv
omiting
One
dose
isenou
ghfor
vomiting
Alliu
msativ
umLinn
KU
H-313
Garlic
Liliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Bulband
leaves
Bulbpieces
arer
egularlyused
forh
ighbloo
dpressureL
eavesa
ndbu
lbarec
hewed
for
vomiting
Asn
eeded
Aloe
barbadensisMill
KUH-314
Kunw
arLiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Pulpof
Leaves
Twoleaves
arem
ades
pineles
sand
each
oneis
dividedleng
th-w
iseinto
2or
3slicesTh
ese
sliceso
fleavesa
long
with
common
saltare
givenorallyto
thea
nimalsPu
lpisdirectly
appliedon
burned
skin
Usually3do
sesa
regiven
each
after
48ho
ursa
ndalso
depend
ondisease
severity
AvenasativaLKU
H-315
Jou
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Partlyrip
enfruitisg
roun
dandmixed
with
somes
ugar
andcold
water
tomakes
yrup
and
istakenorallyas
laxativ
eAsn
eeded
Azadira
chta
indica
(L)
AJussKU
H-316
Neem
Meliaceae
Treen
onendemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
3gm
ofleaves
iscrushedandmixed
with
water
andcommon
saltto
makes
yrup
and
used
orallyforc
uringjaun
dice
Twospoo
nsof
syrupare
used
inthem
orning
after
breakfastand
inthe
eveningbefore
meal
Beta
vulga
risLinn
KU
H-317
Chuk
andar
Chenop
odiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Powderisu
sedorallyto
treatdiabetes
Asn
eeded
Calotro
pisp
roceraA
itfHortKU
H-318
Akra
Ascle
piadaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Latexand
flowers
Plantlatex
isappliedexternallyon
ther
egion
ofsnakeb
iteand5ndash8flo
wersareu
sedata
timew
ithwater
forintestin
alpain
2-3tim
esdaily
for5
days
forintestin
alpain
Capparisdesid
ua(Forsk)
Edgew
KUH-319
Kareeta
Capp
aridaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
FruitYo
ung
shoo
tsand
bark
Equalamou
ntso
fdrie
dfruitand
sugara
regrou
ndto
makep
owder(safoof)a
ndused
orallyforrheum
atism
You
ngshoo
tiscrushed
andmixed
with
flour
andgivento
anim
als
Bark
iscrushedandappliedexternallyto
the
affectedarea
forw
ound
healing
One
teaspo
onof
powder
istakenwith
aglassof
water
twicea
dayfora
weekforrheum
atism
Capsicu
mannu
mL
KUH-320
Green
mirc
hSolanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Freshandun
ripefruitiseatenforc
ancer
Asn
eeded
Carallu
matuberculataN
Brow
nKU
H-321
Chun
gaAp
ocyn
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Coo
kitas
simplev
egetableford
iabetic
scontroland
also
itiseatendirectlyform
any
purposes
Asn
eeded
4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Chenopodium
album
LKU
H-322
Bathu
Chenop
odiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
root
Extractthe
juicefrom
theirleavesw
hich
istakenorallyas
alaxativeDrie
dleaves
paste
isused
foru
rinarypain
Asn
eeded
Cicera
rietin
umLinn
KU
H-323
Channa
Papilio
naceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
seeds
25gm
ofseed
coat(te
sta)o
froaste
dgram
sis
soaked
in250g
ofwater
atnightand
crushed
inthem
orning
andstrainedTh
estrained
water
istakenorally
Thisph
ytotherapy
isconsidered
tobe
useful
forc
onstipatio
n
Asn
eeded
Cichorium
intybu
sL
KUH-324
Kasni
Asteraceae
Herb
Wild
Who
leplant
Freshplantsareb
oiledandsugarisa
dded
todecoctionto
form
syrupandused
orallyfor
stomach
Syrupused
twicea
dayfor
aperiodas
needed
Cirsium
arvense(L)
ScopKU
H-325
Leh
Asteraceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Extracto
fleavesu
sedfora
bdom
inalpain
ofcattle
Asn
eeded
Citru
lluscolocynthis(L)
KUH-326
Karthu
ma
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
makesafoofa
nduse
itorallyforc
onstipatio
nAsn
eeded
Citru
smedica
Linn
KU
H-327
Nim
boRu
taceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
leaves
Fruitextractismixed
with
watersaltand
sugara
ndused
orallyto
controlblood
pressure
andvomiting
Fruitextractism
ixed
with
honeyandfre
shmilk
tomakeitspaste
andappliedon
face
forp
imples
Forskinthep
asteisused
atnightfor
onem
onth
foro
ther
purposesitis
used
asneeded
Cleomeb
rachycarpa
VahlK
UH-328
Gandi
booti
Capp
aridaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsdriedun
dershade
areg
roun
dto
make
powderTh
epurep
owderisu
sedorallyfor
abdo
minalpain
Asn
eeded
Convolvulusa
rvensis
LKU
H-329
Wanvehri
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
5kgplants
driedun
dershadeare
mixed
with
12literso
fwater
atnighttomakes
yrup
and
used
orallyforskindiseases
Inthem
orning
onec
upof
thiswater
isused
onem
ptysto
machor
isused
thric
eadayfora
perio
das
needed
Cordiadichotom
aFo
rsterf
KUH-330
Lasora
Boraginaceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
Eatin
gof
fruitas
neededbeforem
ealis
recommendedforthe
treatmento
fmasculin
esexu
alweakn
ess
Asn
eeded
Coria
ndrum
sativ
umL
KUH-331
Dhania
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
and
fruits
Abou
t50g
ofdriedfruitisb
oiledin
oneliter
ofwater
tillh
alfo
fthe
water
isleft
The
decoctionisused
fora
sthm
aand
coug
hFreshleaves
areg
roun
dwith
minttomake
powdera
ndused
orallyford
iuretic
purposes
Depends
upon
disease
severity
Cucumissativ
usLinn
KUH-332
Kheera
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruits
Duringsevere
fevertheirpieces
arer
ubbedon
thes
oleo
fthe
feetandalso
good
ford
igestio
nAsrequired
Cuscutareflexa
Roxb
KUH-333
Loot
booti
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsared
riedandbu
rntTh
eash
isapplied
tothea
ffected
area
Asn
eeded
Cymbopogon
jawa
rancusa
(Jones)Schu
ltKU
H-334
Khawi
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Root
Upp
erpartso
fthe
rootsa
rebo
iledin
water
Thew
ater
isstr
ainedandisgivenorallyto
the
child
renalon
gwith
sugarfor
dyspepsia
and
typh
oid
2-3tim
esdaily
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Dau
cuscarotaL
KUH-335
Gajar
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Ediblepo
rtionincreasessight
visio
nAs
needed
DalbergiasissooRo
xb
KUH-336
Tali
Fabaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
70gof
youn
gleaves
ofbu
dsiscrushedOne
glasso
fwater
isaddedto
itandstrainedTh
isisuseful
forp
ilesjaun
diceand
thefeelin
gof
hotnessinsoleof
thefeet
Thes
trainedwater
istakendaily
andcontinued
for10days
DaturametelL
KUH-337
Datura
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Roosttheirleaves
andinhaletheirsmokefor
thetreatmento
fasth
maTh
eirseeds
areu
sed
asexpectorantanddo
noteatitin
excess
amou
ntotherwise
itwill
belethal
Asn
eeded
ErucasativaMill
KUH-338
Usoo
Brassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Aeria
lparts
5kgyoun
gbranches
alon
gwith
leaves
are
boiledin
15kg
water
anddecoctionis
obtainedTh
en5k
gmilletflo
urismixed
with
thed
ecoctio
nandisgivenorallyto
theh
orses
Asn
eeded
Eucalyptus
camaldu
lensis
Dehnh
KU
H-339
Safeda
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leafandbark
Tend
ershoo
tand
youn
gleaves
arec
rushed
andtheirsmellgives
tempo
rary
reliefin
coug
hAsn
eeded
Eugeniajambolana
Linn
KU
H-340
Jaman
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
and
fruit
Dry
then
onediblepo
rtionof
theirfruitand
then
grinditandtake
1-2spoo
nsdaily
for3
daysitw
illsto
pthes
everes
tomachprob
lems
andalso
thispo
wderisu
sedforthe
treatment
ofdiabetics
Twicea
day
Fagoniacretica
LKU
H-341
Dhaman
Zygoph
yllaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantisc
rushed
anddecoctionistakenwith
water
forp
ilesa
ndurinaryinfection
1teaspoo
nof
powderis
takenwith
breadthric
eaday
Ficusb
enghalensis
LKU
H-342
Bohirbargad
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Fruitdriedun
dershadeisg
roun
dto
form
powderTh
ispo
wderisu
sedorallyto
treat
abdo
minalpain
Takenwith
water
twicein
day
Ficuscarica
LKU
H-343
Anjeer
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
2ndash4fig
s(fruit)ares
oakedin
water
ormilk
atnightand
used
inthem
orning
onem
pty
stomachTh
isisconsidered
tobe
very
effectiv
efor
thetreatmento
fpilesFruitis
used
toremovek
idneysto
ne
Usedin
them
orning
onem
ptysto
machfor10
days
FicusreligiosaL
KUH-344
Peepal
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitand
bark
Burn
theb
arkandmakep
owderfrom
this
coalbark
andtake
orally5gram
sofitw
ithwater
ford
iarrho
eaFruitisused
forw
ound
healing
Asn
eeded
Foenicu
lum
vulga
reMill
KUH-345
Saun
fAp
iaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Equalquantities
offenn
elfruitcoria
nder
fruitandsugara
remixed
andgrou
ndtogether
tomakep
owdera
ndrecommended
ascarm
inativeFenn
elfruitfre
shmintleaves
andgreenteaa
rebo
iledused
forv
omiting
Thep
owderisu
sedtwice
aday
after
mealas
carm
inativea
ndfor
vomiting
andform
enses
pain
them
ixture
isused
twicea
day
6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Grew
iaasiaticaL
KUH-346
Phalsa
Tiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leavesfruit
andbark
1kgfruitisc
rushed
with
fingersin
1litero
fwater
andthen
strainedSugar
isaddedto
the
strained
juicetomakes
yrup
Thes
yrup
istakenorallyforb
lood
purifying
feverand
gastrointestinaldisorders
Asn
eeded
Helianthus
annu
usL
KUH-347
Surajm
ukhi
Asteraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsleaves
andflo
wers
Leaves
andseedsa
recrushedandused
orally
andderm
allyagainstfever
andother
purposes
For2
days
Heliotropium
europaeum
LKU
H-348
PeepatBo
oti
Boraginaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
lant
iscrushedto
makep
asteTh
epaste
isappliedas
poultic
etothea
ffected
area
For3
days
Jasm
inum
grandiflorum
LKU
H-349
Cham
beli
Oleaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Juiceo
fwho
leplantisp
reparedandused
orallyagainsth
eartdiseases
anddiabetes
Asn
eeded
Laws
oniainermisL
KUH-350
Mehnd
iLythraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Leaves
arec
rushed
andpaste
isappliedon
solesa
ndhairs
Asn
eeded
Mom
ordica
charantia
Linn
KUH-351
Karela
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leafflow
er
andfruits
Leaves
arec
rushed
andbo
iledandtakenas
teasomes
altisa
lsomixed
andused
forskin
diseases
andbloo
dpu
rificatio
nFruitisu
sed
asvegetablea
ndused
ford
iabetic
s
Asn
eeded
Menthavirid
isL
KUH-352
Podina
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
orallyfor
vomiting
andsto
machdisorders
Asn
eeded
Moringa
oleiferaLa
m
KUH-353
Sohanjna
Moringaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Cuttheirroot
andbo
ilitin
water
andaft
erthataddmilk
tothiswater
anddrinkitwhich
breaks
thek
idneysto
ne
Asn
eeded
Morus
alba
LKU
H-354
Toot
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Eattheirfruitswhich
providethe
energy
totheh
eart
Asn
eeded
Nann
orrhopsritchieana
Griff
KUH-355
Mazri
Palm
aeSh
rubno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
Mostly
theirleavesa
rebo
iledandthen
this
juiceisu
sedorallyforc
arminativea
ndveterin
arytre
atment
Ocim
umbasilicu
mL
KUH-356
Niazbo
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsa
ndleaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
for
gastrointestinalandrespira
tory
infections
Asn
eeded
Oxalis
cornicu
lata
LKU
H-357
Khatti
boti
Oxalid
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Extracto
fwho
leplantisu
sedorallyforb
lood
purifi
catio
nAsn
eeded
Peganu
mharm
ala
LKU
H-358
Harmal
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
seeds
Asm
allquantity
ofharm
alas
eeds
alon
gwith
smallquantity
oftables
altistaken
with
water
fora
fewdays
asexpectorant
Dosed
epends
ondisease
severity
Phoenixdactylifer
aL
KUH-359
Khajoor
Palm
aeTreenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaflets
(spines)
Thelow
estleaflets(spines)of
compo
undleaf
arec
rushed
andbo
iledTh
estrainedwater
istakenorallyforg
eneralpain
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Plantago
ovataFo
rsk
KUH-360
Ispaghula
Plantaginaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
12gm
seedsa
retakenwith
milk
atnightfor
constip
ation
12gm
seedssugarand1g
lassof
water
arem
ixed
andshaken
welltocure
jaun
dice
Twicea
day
Polyg
onum
barbatum
LKU
H-361
Karaveera
Polygonaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsarec
rushed
toform
paste
the
paste
isused
aspo
ultic
eonthea
ffected
area
daily
for
3days
Fora
perio
dof
threed
ays
Portulacaoleracea
LKU
H-362
Lunrak
Portulacaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
Equalamou
ntso
fseeds
ofPortulaca
coria
nderA
rgyreia
speciosaand
tables
ugar
areg
roun
dto
makep
owder(safoof)Itisan
effectiv
etraditio
nalphytotherapyused
for
nightemission
10gm
powderistaken
with
water
twicea
day
Punica
granatum
LKU
H-363
Anar
Punicaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
mixthissafoof
with
water
anditisgivenorallyto
child
ren
Mostly
twicea
day
Raphanus
sativ
usL
KUH-364
Moo
liBrassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Rootsa
ndedibleparts
Paste
ofroot
isform
edandused
forskin
infections
Twotim
esad
ay
Ricin
uscommun
isL
KUH-365
Herno
liEu
phorbiaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
fruit
Heatthe
leaves
andfruitsandthen
they
releasethe
oilw
hich
isleaped
onthed
esire
dplaceo
rorgansw
here
pain
isfelt
Asn
eeded
Rosa
indica
Lind
lRo
sMon
ogr
KUH-366
Gulab
Rosaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Flow
erFreshpetalsarem
ixed
with
sugartomake
gulkandandkept
inbo
ttlea
ndused
for
stomachdisorders
Asn
eeded
Saccharum
benghalen
sisRe
tzK
UH-367
Kana
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterand
after
anho
uritwillsettled
ownin
theb
ottom
Thes
trainedwater
isgivento
thea
nimals
sufferin
gfro
mldquourin
eretentio
nrdquodisease
Asn
eeded
Salva
dora
oleoides
DecneK
UH-368
Jal
Salvadoraceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
250g
mof
fruitsisplaced
inac
layeypo
tand
itsmou
thisclo
sedin
ordertopreventthe
entrance
ofwater
inthep
otTh
epot
isplaced
inab
ucketo
fwater
fora
nightTh
efruitis
used
inthem
orning
onem
ptysto
mach
Eatin
gof
fruito
fwater
melon
before
oraft
erthee
atingof
Salvadoran
fruitisu
seful
Foro
neweek
Salva
dora
persica
LKU
H-369
Peelu
Salvadoraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
watertaken
asteaand
common
lyused
asap
urify
ingagent
Asn
eeded
Solanu
msuratte
nse
Burm
fKU
H-370
Kand
ari
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
owdero
fdrie
dfruitsistakenwith
water
fora
perio
dto
treatpilesFreshplantsare
boiledin
3tim
esmorew
aterTh
ewater
isfilteredandmixed
with
sugartoform
syrup
andused
fore
czem
aand
bloo
dpu
rificatio
n
Syrupisused
twicea
day
asneeded
fora
perio
dof
for2
mon
thsfor
treatment
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Figure 1 Map of the study area
(iii) to select candidate medicinal plant species of high pri-ority for phytochemical and pharmacological analyses in oursubsequent studies and (iv) to assess the plants conservationissues of the study area
2 Materials and Methods
21 Study Area The present study was carried out in theDera Ismail Khan often abbreviated to D I Khan which isa city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pakistan (Figure 1)D I Khan is with an area 7326 km2 and is situated between31∘151015840 and 32∘321015840N latitude and between 70∘111015840 and 71∘201015840Elongitude [14] Most of the area of the district consists offlat dry alluvial plain commonly known as Daman whichmakes up more than 80 percent of the area where a largenumber of streams and hill torrents discharge water [15] DI Khan supports xerophytic and aquatic vegetation and theirassociated species of wild fauna [16] Dominant plant speciesareAcaciamodesta Acacia nilotica Calotropis proceraMorusalba and Eucalyptus camaldulensisThemaximum and min-imum mean temperature recorded during June is from 42∘Cto 27∘C while in winter season the minimum temperaturerecorded is 20∘C and maximum temperature is 40∘C [17]Precipitation mainly falls in two distinct periods in the latewinter and early spring from February to April and in themonsoon in June and July One of the most famous productsof this district is the ldquoVillage Dhakki daterdquo which is exportedto the Middle East United States and Europe This districtalso produces wheat sugar cane rice and a famous varietyof mangos Most of the population of the area is rural withlow literacy rate and they also lack modern health facilitieshence they are more dependent upon natural resourcesespecially plants for their healthcare and to compensate theirlow income as well
22 Data Collection Field work was carried out betweenFebruary 2012 and January 2013 A total of eight field visitswere made in four different seasons for data collection Eachvisit lasted over 20 days in the field A total of 120 informantswere selected on the basis of information provided by thelocal administrator and elder people of the study region
Table 1 Gender age group literacy level frequencies and occupa-tion of the interviewed people in the region
Total PercentageGender
Male 50 415Female 70 585
Age groups21ndash29 2 1630ndash39 8 640ndash49 22 18350ndash59 21 1860ndash69 23 19170ndash79 27 22580ndash89 17 141
Educational attainmentIlliterate 63 525Primary 31 258Middle 16 133Secondary 7 58University 3 25
OccupationFemales
Housewives 63 90Primary teacher 7 10
MalesShopkeepers 12 24Farmers 22 44Labour 8 16Primary teachers 8 16
Ethnic groups including Marwat Lodhi and Sial inhabitthe study area Marwat and Lodhi are more concentratedand are generally more aware of the traditional knowledgeThe selected healers were well known in the communitydue to their long practice in service provision related totraditional health care The informants were native-born orhad been living in the study area for a long time Prior todata collection group meeting was held with the help ofvillagersquos head in order to explain to the informants (i) themeof present study and (ii) assurance that their knowledgewould be a great contribution in conserving the indigenousknowledge of the area Prior to survey a semistructured ques-tionnaire was designed and pretested with five informantsto find out its suitability for the present study and later onmodified according to response of informants The revisedquestionnaire was used for gathering data from individualinformant about medicinal plants of the study area Thequestionnaire contained no strict questions and informantswere allowed to speak spontaneously and without pressureOur final purpose was to obtain the complete list ofmedicinalplants used andor known by each informant All interviewswere carried out in local language (Saraiki) of the studyarea In addition a total of four focus group discussionswith 30 informants in each group were also designed to gainfurther information on medicinal plants at the community
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3Ta
ble2Ethn
omedicines
ofthes
tudy
area
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Acaciamodesta
Wall
KUH-309
Kikar
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
water
andextractedjuiceis
used
orallyfork
idneypain
Mostly
2or
3tim
esad
ay
Acacianilotica(L)
Delile
KUH-310
Kikar
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Bark
and
flowers
Bark
isbo
iledin
water
andthed
ecoctio
nis
used
dentally
Flow
ersa
retie
don
affected
areaFlowersa
rebo
iledin
mustard
oiltheo
ilisappliedto
head
Ford
entalpurpo
sesitis
used
twicea
dayfor10
daysw
hileforo
thersitis
used
asneeded
Albizialeb
beck
(L)
BenthKU
H-311
Sirsirin
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Seeds
Seedsa
regrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndstrained
throug
hfin
ecloth
(havingsm
all
pores)E
qualqu
antitieso
fthe
strained
powdera
ndsugara
remixedTh
isisan
effectiv
ephytotherapytakenorallyfor
asthma
4gof
thismixed
powder
isused
twicea
dayfora
perio
dof
40days
Alliu
mcepa
LKU
H-312
Piaz
Liliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Bulb
Grin
dtheb
ulbof
onionandmixitwith
water
anditistakenorallyforv
omiting
One
dose
isenou
ghfor
vomiting
Alliu
msativ
umLinn
KU
H-313
Garlic
Liliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Bulband
leaves
Bulbpieces
arer
egularlyused
forh
ighbloo
dpressureL
eavesa
ndbu
lbarec
hewed
for
vomiting
Asn
eeded
Aloe
barbadensisMill
KUH-314
Kunw
arLiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Pulpof
Leaves
Twoleaves
arem
ades
pineles
sand
each
oneis
dividedleng
th-w
iseinto
2or
3slicesTh
ese
sliceso
fleavesa
long
with
common
saltare
givenorallyto
thea
nimalsPu
lpisdirectly
appliedon
burned
skin
Usually3do
sesa
regiven
each
after
48ho
ursa
ndalso
depend
ondisease
severity
AvenasativaLKU
H-315
Jou
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Partlyrip
enfruitisg
roun
dandmixed
with
somes
ugar
andcold
water
tomakes
yrup
and
istakenorallyas
laxativ
eAsn
eeded
Azadira
chta
indica
(L)
AJussKU
H-316
Neem
Meliaceae
Treen
onendemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
3gm
ofleaves
iscrushedandmixed
with
water
andcommon
saltto
makes
yrup
and
used
orallyforc
uringjaun
dice
Twospoo
nsof
syrupare
used
inthem
orning
after
breakfastand
inthe
eveningbefore
meal
Beta
vulga
risLinn
KU
H-317
Chuk
andar
Chenop
odiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Powderisu
sedorallyto
treatdiabetes
Asn
eeded
Calotro
pisp
roceraA
itfHortKU
H-318
Akra
Ascle
piadaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Latexand
flowers
Plantlatex
isappliedexternallyon
ther
egion
ofsnakeb
iteand5ndash8flo
wersareu
sedata
timew
ithwater
forintestin
alpain
2-3tim
esdaily
for5
days
forintestin
alpain
Capparisdesid
ua(Forsk)
Edgew
KUH-319
Kareeta
Capp
aridaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
FruitYo
ung
shoo
tsand
bark
Equalamou
ntso
fdrie
dfruitand
sugara
regrou
ndto
makep
owder(safoof)a
ndused
orallyforrheum
atism
You
ngshoo
tiscrushed
andmixed
with
flour
andgivento
anim
als
Bark
iscrushedandappliedexternallyto
the
affectedarea
forw
ound
healing
One
teaspo
onof
powder
istakenwith
aglassof
water
twicea
dayfora
weekforrheum
atism
Capsicu
mannu
mL
KUH-320
Green
mirc
hSolanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Freshandun
ripefruitiseatenforc
ancer
Asn
eeded
Carallu
matuberculataN
Brow
nKU
H-321
Chun
gaAp
ocyn
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Coo
kitas
simplev
egetableford
iabetic
scontroland
also
itiseatendirectlyform
any
purposes
Asn
eeded
4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Chenopodium
album
LKU
H-322
Bathu
Chenop
odiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
root
Extractthe
juicefrom
theirleavesw
hich
istakenorallyas
alaxativeDrie
dleaves
paste
isused
foru
rinarypain
Asn
eeded
Cicera
rietin
umLinn
KU
H-323
Channa
Papilio
naceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
seeds
25gm
ofseed
coat(te
sta)o
froaste
dgram
sis
soaked
in250g
ofwater
atnightand
crushed
inthem
orning
andstrainedTh
estrained
water
istakenorally
Thisph
ytotherapy
isconsidered
tobe
useful
forc
onstipatio
n
Asn
eeded
Cichorium
intybu
sL
KUH-324
Kasni
Asteraceae
Herb
Wild
Who
leplant
Freshplantsareb
oiledandsugarisa
dded
todecoctionto
form
syrupandused
orallyfor
stomach
Syrupused
twicea
dayfor
aperiodas
needed
Cirsium
arvense(L)
ScopKU
H-325
Leh
Asteraceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Extracto
fleavesu
sedfora
bdom
inalpain
ofcattle
Asn
eeded
Citru
lluscolocynthis(L)
KUH-326
Karthu
ma
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
makesafoofa
nduse
itorallyforc
onstipatio
nAsn
eeded
Citru
smedica
Linn
KU
H-327
Nim
boRu
taceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
leaves
Fruitextractismixed
with
watersaltand
sugara
ndused
orallyto
controlblood
pressure
andvomiting
Fruitextractism
ixed
with
honeyandfre
shmilk
tomakeitspaste
andappliedon
face
forp
imples
Forskinthep
asteisused
atnightfor
onem
onth
foro
ther
purposesitis
used
asneeded
Cleomeb
rachycarpa
VahlK
UH-328
Gandi
booti
Capp
aridaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsdriedun
dershade
areg
roun
dto
make
powderTh
epurep
owderisu
sedorallyfor
abdo
minalpain
Asn
eeded
Convolvulusa
rvensis
LKU
H-329
Wanvehri
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
5kgplants
driedun
dershadeare
mixed
with
12literso
fwater
atnighttomakes
yrup
and
used
orallyforskindiseases
Inthem
orning
onec
upof
thiswater
isused
onem
ptysto
machor
isused
thric
eadayfora
perio
das
needed
Cordiadichotom
aFo
rsterf
KUH-330
Lasora
Boraginaceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
Eatin
gof
fruitas
neededbeforem
ealis
recommendedforthe
treatmento
fmasculin
esexu
alweakn
ess
Asn
eeded
Coria
ndrum
sativ
umL
KUH-331
Dhania
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
and
fruits
Abou
t50g
ofdriedfruitisb
oiledin
oneliter
ofwater
tillh
alfo
fthe
water
isleft
The
decoctionisused
fora
sthm
aand
coug
hFreshleaves
areg
roun
dwith
minttomake
powdera
ndused
orallyford
iuretic
purposes
Depends
upon
disease
severity
Cucumissativ
usLinn
KUH-332
Kheera
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruits
Duringsevere
fevertheirpieces
arer
ubbedon
thes
oleo
fthe
feetandalso
good
ford
igestio
nAsrequired
Cuscutareflexa
Roxb
KUH-333
Loot
booti
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsared
riedandbu
rntTh
eash
isapplied
tothea
ffected
area
Asn
eeded
Cymbopogon
jawa
rancusa
(Jones)Schu
ltKU
H-334
Khawi
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Root
Upp
erpartso
fthe
rootsa
rebo
iledin
water
Thew
ater
isstr
ainedandisgivenorallyto
the
child
renalon
gwith
sugarfor
dyspepsia
and
typh
oid
2-3tim
esdaily
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Dau
cuscarotaL
KUH-335
Gajar
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Ediblepo
rtionincreasessight
visio
nAs
needed
DalbergiasissooRo
xb
KUH-336
Tali
Fabaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
70gof
youn
gleaves
ofbu
dsiscrushedOne
glasso
fwater
isaddedto
itandstrainedTh
isisuseful
forp
ilesjaun
diceand
thefeelin
gof
hotnessinsoleof
thefeet
Thes
trainedwater
istakendaily
andcontinued
for10days
DaturametelL
KUH-337
Datura
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Roosttheirleaves
andinhaletheirsmokefor
thetreatmento
fasth
maTh
eirseeds
areu
sed
asexpectorantanddo
noteatitin
excess
amou
ntotherwise
itwill
belethal
Asn
eeded
ErucasativaMill
KUH-338
Usoo
Brassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Aeria
lparts
5kgyoun
gbranches
alon
gwith
leaves
are
boiledin
15kg
water
anddecoctionis
obtainedTh
en5k
gmilletflo
urismixed
with
thed
ecoctio
nandisgivenorallyto
theh
orses
Asn
eeded
Eucalyptus
camaldu
lensis
Dehnh
KU
H-339
Safeda
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leafandbark
Tend
ershoo
tand
youn
gleaves
arec
rushed
andtheirsmellgives
tempo
rary
reliefin
coug
hAsn
eeded
Eugeniajambolana
Linn
KU
H-340
Jaman
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
and
fruit
Dry
then
onediblepo
rtionof
theirfruitand
then
grinditandtake
1-2spoo
nsdaily
for3
daysitw
illsto
pthes
everes
tomachprob
lems
andalso
thispo
wderisu
sedforthe
treatment
ofdiabetics
Twicea
day
Fagoniacretica
LKU
H-341
Dhaman
Zygoph
yllaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantisc
rushed
anddecoctionistakenwith
water
forp
ilesa
ndurinaryinfection
1teaspoo
nof
powderis
takenwith
breadthric
eaday
Ficusb
enghalensis
LKU
H-342
Bohirbargad
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Fruitdriedun
dershadeisg
roun
dto
form
powderTh
ispo
wderisu
sedorallyto
treat
abdo
minalpain
Takenwith
water
twicein
day
Ficuscarica
LKU
H-343
Anjeer
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
2ndash4fig
s(fruit)ares
oakedin
water
ormilk
atnightand
used
inthem
orning
onem
pty
stomachTh
isisconsidered
tobe
very
effectiv
efor
thetreatmento
fpilesFruitis
used
toremovek
idneysto
ne
Usedin
them
orning
onem
ptysto
machfor10
days
FicusreligiosaL
KUH-344
Peepal
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitand
bark
Burn
theb
arkandmakep
owderfrom
this
coalbark
andtake
orally5gram
sofitw
ithwater
ford
iarrho
eaFruitisused
forw
ound
healing
Asn
eeded
Foenicu
lum
vulga
reMill
KUH-345
Saun
fAp
iaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Equalquantities
offenn
elfruitcoria
nder
fruitandsugara
remixed
andgrou
ndtogether
tomakep
owdera
ndrecommended
ascarm
inativeFenn
elfruitfre
shmintleaves
andgreenteaa
rebo
iledused
forv
omiting
Thep
owderisu
sedtwice
aday
after
mealas
carm
inativea
ndfor
vomiting
andform
enses
pain
them
ixture
isused
twicea
day
6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Grew
iaasiaticaL
KUH-346
Phalsa
Tiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leavesfruit
andbark
1kgfruitisc
rushed
with
fingersin
1litero
fwater
andthen
strainedSugar
isaddedto
the
strained
juicetomakes
yrup
Thes
yrup
istakenorallyforb
lood
purifying
feverand
gastrointestinaldisorders
Asn
eeded
Helianthus
annu
usL
KUH-347
Surajm
ukhi
Asteraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsleaves
andflo
wers
Leaves
andseedsa
recrushedandused
orally
andderm
allyagainstfever
andother
purposes
For2
days
Heliotropium
europaeum
LKU
H-348
PeepatBo
oti
Boraginaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
lant
iscrushedto
makep
asteTh
epaste
isappliedas
poultic
etothea
ffected
area
For3
days
Jasm
inum
grandiflorum
LKU
H-349
Cham
beli
Oleaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Juiceo
fwho
leplantisp
reparedandused
orallyagainsth
eartdiseases
anddiabetes
Asn
eeded
Laws
oniainermisL
KUH-350
Mehnd
iLythraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Leaves
arec
rushed
andpaste
isappliedon
solesa
ndhairs
Asn
eeded
Mom
ordica
charantia
Linn
KUH-351
Karela
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leafflow
er
andfruits
Leaves
arec
rushed
andbo
iledandtakenas
teasomes
altisa
lsomixed
andused
forskin
diseases
andbloo
dpu
rificatio
nFruitisu
sed
asvegetablea
ndused
ford
iabetic
s
Asn
eeded
Menthavirid
isL
KUH-352
Podina
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
orallyfor
vomiting
andsto
machdisorders
Asn
eeded
Moringa
oleiferaLa
m
KUH-353
Sohanjna
Moringaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Cuttheirroot
andbo
ilitin
water
andaft
erthataddmilk
tothiswater
anddrinkitwhich
breaks
thek
idneysto
ne
Asn
eeded
Morus
alba
LKU
H-354
Toot
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Eattheirfruitswhich
providethe
energy
totheh
eart
Asn
eeded
Nann
orrhopsritchieana
Griff
KUH-355
Mazri
Palm
aeSh
rubno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
Mostly
theirleavesa
rebo
iledandthen
this
juiceisu
sedorallyforc
arminativea
ndveterin
arytre
atment
Ocim
umbasilicu
mL
KUH-356
Niazbo
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsa
ndleaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
for
gastrointestinalandrespira
tory
infections
Asn
eeded
Oxalis
cornicu
lata
LKU
H-357
Khatti
boti
Oxalid
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Extracto
fwho
leplantisu
sedorallyforb
lood
purifi
catio
nAsn
eeded
Peganu
mharm
ala
LKU
H-358
Harmal
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
seeds
Asm
allquantity
ofharm
alas
eeds
alon
gwith
smallquantity
oftables
altistaken
with
water
fora
fewdays
asexpectorant
Dosed
epends
ondisease
severity
Phoenixdactylifer
aL
KUH-359
Khajoor
Palm
aeTreenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaflets
(spines)
Thelow
estleaflets(spines)of
compo
undleaf
arec
rushed
andbo
iledTh
estrainedwater
istakenorallyforg
eneralpain
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Plantago
ovataFo
rsk
KUH-360
Ispaghula
Plantaginaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
12gm
seedsa
retakenwith
milk
atnightfor
constip
ation
12gm
seedssugarand1g
lassof
water
arem
ixed
andshaken
welltocure
jaun
dice
Twicea
day
Polyg
onum
barbatum
LKU
H-361
Karaveera
Polygonaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsarec
rushed
toform
paste
the
paste
isused
aspo
ultic
eonthea
ffected
area
daily
for
3days
Fora
perio
dof
threed
ays
Portulacaoleracea
LKU
H-362
Lunrak
Portulacaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
Equalamou
ntso
fseeds
ofPortulaca
coria
nderA
rgyreia
speciosaand
tables
ugar
areg
roun
dto
makep
owder(safoof)Itisan
effectiv
etraditio
nalphytotherapyused
for
nightemission
10gm
powderistaken
with
water
twicea
day
Punica
granatum
LKU
H-363
Anar
Punicaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
mixthissafoof
with
water
anditisgivenorallyto
child
ren
Mostly
twicea
day
Raphanus
sativ
usL
KUH-364
Moo
liBrassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Rootsa
ndedibleparts
Paste
ofroot
isform
edandused
forskin
infections
Twotim
esad
ay
Ricin
uscommun
isL
KUH-365
Herno
liEu
phorbiaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
fruit
Heatthe
leaves
andfruitsandthen
they
releasethe
oilw
hich
isleaped
onthed
esire
dplaceo
rorgansw
here
pain
isfelt
Asn
eeded
Rosa
indica
Lind
lRo
sMon
ogr
KUH-366
Gulab
Rosaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Flow
erFreshpetalsarem
ixed
with
sugartomake
gulkandandkept
inbo
ttlea
ndused
for
stomachdisorders
Asn
eeded
Saccharum
benghalen
sisRe
tzK
UH-367
Kana
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterand
after
anho
uritwillsettled
ownin
theb
ottom
Thes
trainedwater
isgivento
thea
nimals
sufferin
gfro
mldquourin
eretentio
nrdquodisease
Asn
eeded
Salva
dora
oleoides
DecneK
UH-368
Jal
Salvadoraceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
250g
mof
fruitsisplaced
inac
layeypo
tand
itsmou
thisclo
sedin
ordertopreventthe
entrance
ofwater
inthep
otTh
epot
isplaced
inab
ucketo
fwater
fora
nightTh
efruitis
used
inthem
orning
onem
ptysto
mach
Eatin
gof
fruito
fwater
melon
before
oraft
erthee
atingof
Salvadoran
fruitisu
seful
Foro
neweek
Salva
dora
persica
LKU
H-369
Peelu
Salvadoraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
watertaken
asteaand
common
lyused
asap
urify
ingagent
Asn
eeded
Solanu
msuratte
nse
Burm
fKU
H-370
Kand
ari
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
owdero
fdrie
dfruitsistakenwith
water
fora
perio
dto
treatpilesFreshplantsare
boiledin
3tim
esmorew
aterTh
ewater
isfilteredandmixed
with
sugartoform
syrup
andused
fore
czem
aand
bloo
dpu
rificatio
n
Syrupisused
twicea
day
asneeded
fora
perio
dof
for2
mon
thsfor
treatment
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3Ta
ble2Ethn
omedicines
ofthes
tudy
area
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Acaciamodesta
Wall
KUH-309
Kikar
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
water
andextractedjuiceis
used
orallyfork
idneypain
Mostly
2or
3tim
esad
ay
Acacianilotica(L)
Delile
KUH-310
Kikar
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Bark
and
flowers
Bark
isbo
iledin
water
andthed
ecoctio
nis
used
dentally
Flow
ersa
retie
don
affected
areaFlowersa
rebo
iledin
mustard
oiltheo
ilisappliedto
head
Ford
entalpurpo
sesitis
used
twicea
dayfor10
daysw
hileforo
thersitis
used
asneeded
Albizialeb
beck
(L)
BenthKU
H-311
Sirsirin
Mim
osaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Seeds
Seedsa
regrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndstrained
throug
hfin
ecloth
(havingsm
all
pores)E
qualqu
antitieso
fthe
strained
powdera
ndsugara
remixedTh
isisan
effectiv
ephytotherapytakenorallyfor
asthma
4gof
thismixed
powder
isused
twicea
dayfora
perio
dof
40days
Alliu
mcepa
LKU
H-312
Piaz
Liliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Bulb
Grin
dtheb
ulbof
onionandmixitwith
water
anditistakenorallyforv
omiting
One
dose
isenou
ghfor
vomiting
Alliu
msativ
umLinn
KU
H-313
Garlic
Liliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Bulband
leaves
Bulbpieces
arer
egularlyused
forh
ighbloo
dpressureL
eavesa
ndbu
lbarec
hewed
for
vomiting
Asn
eeded
Aloe
barbadensisMill
KUH-314
Kunw
arLiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Pulpof
Leaves
Twoleaves
arem
ades
pineles
sand
each
oneis
dividedleng
th-w
iseinto
2or
3slicesTh
ese
sliceso
fleavesa
long
with
common
saltare
givenorallyto
thea
nimalsPu
lpisdirectly
appliedon
burned
skin
Usually3do
sesa
regiven
each
after
48ho
ursa
ndalso
depend
ondisease
severity
AvenasativaLKU
H-315
Jou
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Partlyrip
enfruitisg
roun
dandmixed
with
somes
ugar
andcold
water
tomakes
yrup
and
istakenorallyas
laxativ
eAsn
eeded
Azadira
chta
indica
(L)
AJussKU
H-316
Neem
Meliaceae
Treen
onendemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
3gm
ofleaves
iscrushedandmixed
with
water
andcommon
saltto
makes
yrup
and
used
orallyforc
uringjaun
dice
Twospoo
nsof
syrupare
used
inthem
orning
after
breakfastand
inthe
eveningbefore
meal
Beta
vulga
risLinn
KU
H-317
Chuk
andar
Chenop
odiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Powderisu
sedorallyto
treatdiabetes
Asn
eeded
Calotro
pisp
roceraA
itfHortKU
H-318
Akra
Ascle
piadaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Latexand
flowers
Plantlatex
isappliedexternallyon
ther
egion
ofsnakeb
iteand5ndash8flo
wersareu
sedata
timew
ithwater
forintestin
alpain
2-3tim
esdaily
for5
days
forintestin
alpain
Capparisdesid
ua(Forsk)
Edgew
KUH-319
Kareeta
Capp
aridaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
FruitYo
ung
shoo
tsand
bark
Equalamou
ntso
fdrie
dfruitand
sugara
regrou
ndto
makep
owder(safoof)a
ndused
orallyforrheum
atism
You
ngshoo
tiscrushed
andmixed
with
flour
andgivento
anim
als
Bark
iscrushedandappliedexternallyto
the
affectedarea
forw
ound
healing
One
teaspo
onof
powder
istakenwith
aglassof
water
twicea
dayfora
weekforrheum
atism
Capsicu
mannu
mL
KUH-320
Green
mirc
hSolanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Freshandun
ripefruitiseatenforc
ancer
Asn
eeded
Carallu
matuberculataN
Brow
nKU
H-321
Chun
gaAp
ocyn
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Coo
kitas
simplev
egetableford
iabetic
scontroland
also
itiseatendirectlyform
any
purposes
Asn
eeded
4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Chenopodium
album
LKU
H-322
Bathu
Chenop
odiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
root
Extractthe
juicefrom
theirleavesw
hich
istakenorallyas
alaxativeDrie
dleaves
paste
isused
foru
rinarypain
Asn
eeded
Cicera
rietin
umLinn
KU
H-323
Channa
Papilio
naceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
seeds
25gm
ofseed
coat(te
sta)o
froaste
dgram
sis
soaked
in250g
ofwater
atnightand
crushed
inthem
orning
andstrainedTh
estrained
water
istakenorally
Thisph
ytotherapy
isconsidered
tobe
useful
forc
onstipatio
n
Asn
eeded
Cichorium
intybu
sL
KUH-324
Kasni
Asteraceae
Herb
Wild
Who
leplant
Freshplantsareb
oiledandsugarisa
dded
todecoctionto
form
syrupandused
orallyfor
stomach
Syrupused
twicea
dayfor
aperiodas
needed
Cirsium
arvense(L)
ScopKU
H-325
Leh
Asteraceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Extracto
fleavesu
sedfora
bdom
inalpain
ofcattle
Asn
eeded
Citru
lluscolocynthis(L)
KUH-326
Karthu
ma
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
makesafoofa
nduse
itorallyforc
onstipatio
nAsn
eeded
Citru
smedica
Linn
KU
H-327
Nim
boRu
taceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
leaves
Fruitextractismixed
with
watersaltand
sugara
ndused
orallyto
controlblood
pressure
andvomiting
Fruitextractism
ixed
with
honeyandfre
shmilk
tomakeitspaste
andappliedon
face
forp
imples
Forskinthep
asteisused
atnightfor
onem
onth
foro
ther
purposesitis
used
asneeded
Cleomeb
rachycarpa
VahlK
UH-328
Gandi
booti
Capp
aridaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsdriedun
dershade
areg
roun
dto
make
powderTh
epurep
owderisu
sedorallyfor
abdo
minalpain
Asn
eeded
Convolvulusa
rvensis
LKU
H-329
Wanvehri
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
5kgplants
driedun
dershadeare
mixed
with
12literso
fwater
atnighttomakes
yrup
and
used
orallyforskindiseases
Inthem
orning
onec
upof
thiswater
isused
onem
ptysto
machor
isused
thric
eadayfora
perio
das
needed
Cordiadichotom
aFo
rsterf
KUH-330
Lasora
Boraginaceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
Eatin
gof
fruitas
neededbeforem
ealis
recommendedforthe
treatmento
fmasculin
esexu
alweakn
ess
Asn
eeded
Coria
ndrum
sativ
umL
KUH-331
Dhania
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
and
fruits
Abou
t50g
ofdriedfruitisb
oiledin
oneliter
ofwater
tillh
alfo
fthe
water
isleft
The
decoctionisused
fora
sthm
aand
coug
hFreshleaves
areg
roun
dwith
minttomake
powdera
ndused
orallyford
iuretic
purposes
Depends
upon
disease
severity
Cucumissativ
usLinn
KUH-332
Kheera
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruits
Duringsevere
fevertheirpieces
arer
ubbedon
thes
oleo
fthe
feetandalso
good
ford
igestio
nAsrequired
Cuscutareflexa
Roxb
KUH-333
Loot
booti
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsared
riedandbu
rntTh
eash
isapplied
tothea
ffected
area
Asn
eeded
Cymbopogon
jawa
rancusa
(Jones)Schu
ltKU
H-334
Khawi
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Root
Upp
erpartso
fthe
rootsa
rebo
iledin
water
Thew
ater
isstr
ainedandisgivenorallyto
the
child
renalon
gwith
sugarfor
dyspepsia
and
typh
oid
2-3tim
esdaily
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Dau
cuscarotaL
KUH-335
Gajar
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Ediblepo
rtionincreasessight
visio
nAs
needed
DalbergiasissooRo
xb
KUH-336
Tali
Fabaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
70gof
youn
gleaves
ofbu
dsiscrushedOne
glasso
fwater
isaddedto
itandstrainedTh
isisuseful
forp
ilesjaun
diceand
thefeelin
gof
hotnessinsoleof
thefeet
Thes
trainedwater
istakendaily
andcontinued
for10days
DaturametelL
KUH-337
Datura
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Roosttheirleaves
andinhaletheirsmokefor
thetreatmento
fasth
maTh
eirseeds
areu
sed
asexpectorantanddo
noteatitin
excess
amou
ntotherwise
itwill
belethal
Asn
eeded
ErucasativaMill
KUH-338
Usoo
Brassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Aeria
lparts
5kgyoun
gbranches
alon
gwith
leaves
are
boiledin
15kg
water
anddecoctionis
obtainedTh
en5k
gmilletflo
urismixed
with
thed
ecoctio
nandisgivenorallyto
theh
orses
Asn
eeded
Eucalyptus
camaldu
lensis
Dehnh
KU
H-339
Safeda
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leafandbark
Tend
ershoo
tand
youn
gleaves
arec
rushed
andtheirsmellgives
tempo
rary
reliefin
coug
hAsn
eeded
Eugeniajambolana
Linn
KU
H-340
Jaman
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
and
fruit
Dry
then
onediblepo
rtionof
theirfruitand
then
grinditandtake
1-2spoo
nsdaily
for3
daysitw
illsto
pthes
everes
tomachprob
lems
andalso
thispo
wderisu
sedforthe
treatment
ofdiabetics
Twicea
day
Fagoniacretica
LKU
H-341
Dhaman
Zygoph
yllaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantisc
rushed
anddecoctionistakenwith
water
forp
ilesa
ndurinaryinfection
1teaspoo
nof
powderis
takenwith
breadthric
eaday
Ficusb
enghalensis
LKU
H-342
Bohirbargad
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Fruitdriedun
dershadeisg
roun
dto
form
powderTh
ispo
wderisu
sedorallyto
treat
abdo
minalpain
Takenwith
water
twicein
day
Ficuscarica
LKU
H-343
Anjeer
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
2ndash4fig
s(fruit)ares
oakedin
water
ormilk
atnightand
used
inthem
orning
onem
pty
stomachTh
isisconsidered
tobe
very
effectiv
efor
thetreatmento
fpilesFruitis
used
toremovek
idneysto
ne
Usedin
them
orning
onem
ptysto
machfor10
days
FicusreligiosaL
KUH-344
Peepal
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitand
bark
Burn
theb
arkandmakep
owderfrom
this
coalbark
andtake
orally5gram
sofitw
ithwater
ford
iarrho
eaFruitisused
forw
ound
healing
Asn
eeded
Foenicu
lum
vulga
reMill
KUH-345
Saun
fAp
iaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Equalquantities
offenn
elfruitcoria
nder
fruitandsugara
remixed
andgrou
ndtogether
tomakep
owdera
ndrecommended
ascarm
inativeFenn
elfruitfre
shmintleaves
andgreenteaa
rebo
iledused
forv
omiting
Thep
owderisu
sedtwice
aday
after
mealas
carm
inativea
ndfor
vomiting
andform
enses
pain
them
ixture
isused
twicea
day
6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Grew
iaasiaticaL
KUH-346
Phalsa
Tiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leavesfruit
andbark
1kgfruitisc
rushed
with
fingersin
1litero
fwater
andthen
strainedSugar
isaddedto
the
strained
juicetomakes
yrup
Thes
yrup
istakenorallyforb
lood
purifying
feverand
gastrointestinaldisorders
Asn
eeded
Helianthus
annu
usL
KUH-347
Surajm
ukhi
Asteraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsleaves
andflo
wers
Leaves
andseedsa
recrushedandused
orally
andderm
allyagainstfever
andother
purposes
For2
days
Heliotropium
europaeum
LKU
H-348
PeepatBo
oti
Boraginaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
lant
iscrushedto
makep
asteTh
epaste
isappliedas
poultic
etothea
ffected
area
For3
days
Jasm
inum
grandiflorum
LKU
H-349
Cham
beli
Oleaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Juiceo
fwho
leplantisp
reparedandused
orallyagainsth
eartdiseases
anddiabetes
Asn
eeded
Laws
oniainermisL
KUH-350
Mehnd
iLythraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Leaves
arec
rushed
andpaste
isappliedon
solesa
ndhairs
Asn
eeded
Mom
ordica
charantia
Linn
KUH-351
Karela
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leafflow
er
andfruits
Leaves
arec
rushed
andbo
iledandtakenas
teasomes
altisa
lsomixed
andused
forskin
diseases
andbloo
dpu
rificatio
nFruitisu
sed
asvegetablea
ndused
ford
iabetic
s
Asn
eeded
Menthavirid
isL
KUH-352
Podina
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
orallyfor
vomiting
andsto
machdisorders
Asn
eeded
Moringa
oleiferaLa
m
KUH-353
Sohanjna
Moringaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Cuttheirroot
andbo
ilitin
water
andaft
erthataddmilk
tothiswater
anddrinkitwhich
breaks
thek
idneysto
ne
Asn
eeded
Morus
alba
LKU
H-354
Toot
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Eattheirfruitswhich
providethe
energy
totheh
eart
Asn
eeded
Nann
orrhopsritchieana
Griff
KUH-355
Mazri
Palm
aeSh
rubno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
Mostly
theirleavesa
rebo
iledandthen
this
juiceisu
sedorallyforc
arminativea
ndveterin
arytre
atment
Ocim
umbasilicu
mL
KUH-356
Niazbo
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsa
ndleaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
for
gastrointestinalandrespira
tory
infections
Asn
eeded
Oxalis
cornicu
lata
LKU
H-357
Khatti
boti
Oxalid
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Extracto
fwho
leplantisu
sedorallyforb
lood
purifi
catio
nAsn
eeded
Peganu
mharm
ala
LKU
H-358
Harmal
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
seeds
Asm
allquantity
ofharm
alas
eeds
alon
gwith
smallquantity
oftables
altistaken
with
water
fora
fewdays
asexpectorant
Dosed
epends
ondisease
severity
Phoenixdactylifer
aL
KUH-359
Khajoor
Palm
aeTreenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaflets
(spines)
Thelow
estleaflets(spines)of
compo
undleaf
arec
rushed
andbo
iledTh
estrainedwater
istakenorallyforg
eneralpain
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Plantago
ovataFo
rsk
KUH-360
Ispaghula
Plantaginaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
12gm
seedsa
retakenwith
milk
atnightfor
constip
ation
12gm
seedssugarand1g
lassof
water
arem
ixed
andshaken
welltocure
jaun
dice
Twicea
day
Polyg
onum
barbatum
LKU
H-361
Karaveera
Polygonaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsarec
rushed
toform
paste
the
paste
isused
aspo
ultic
eonthea
ffected
area
daily
for
3days
Fora
perio
dof
threed
ays
Portulacaoleracea
LKU
H-362
Lunrak
Portulacaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
Equalamou
ntso
fseeds
ofPortulaca
coria
nderA
rgyreia
speciosaand
tables
ugar
areg
roun
dto
makep
owder(safoof)Itisan
effectiv
etraditio
nalphytotherapyused
for
nightemission
10gm
powderistaken
with
water
twicea
day
Punica
granatum
LKU
H-363
Anar
Punicaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
mixthissafoof
with
water
anditisgivenorallyto
child
ren
Mostly
twicea
day
Raphanus
sativ
usL
KUH-364
Moo
liBrassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Rootsa
ndedibleparts
Paste
ofroot
isform
edandused
forskin
infections
Twotim
esad
ay
Ricin
uscommun
isL
KUH-365
Herno
liEu
phorbiaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
fruit
Heatthe
leaves
andfruitsandthen
they
releasethe
oilw
hich
isleaped
onthed
esire
dplaceo
rorgansw
here
pain
isfelt
Asn
eeded
Rosa
indica
Lind
lRo
sMon
ogr
KUH-366
Gulab
Rosaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Flow
erFreshpetalsarem
ixed
with
sugartomake
gulkandandkept
inbo
ttlea
ndused
for
stomachdisorders
Asn
eeded
Saccharum
benghalen
sisRe
tzK
UH-367
Kana
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterand
after
anho
uritwillsettled
ownin
theb
ottom
Thes
trainedwater
isgivento
thea
nimals
sufferin
gfro
mldquourin
eretentio
nrdquodisease
Asn
eeded
Salva
dora
oleoides
DecneK
UH-368
Jal
Salvadoraceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
250g
mof
fruitsisplaced
inac
layeypo
tand
itsmou
thisclo
sedin
ordertopreventthe
entrance
ofwater
inthep
otTh
epot
isplaced
inab
ucketo
fwater
fora
nightTh
efruitis
used
inthem
orning
onem
ptysto
mach
Eatin
gof
fruito
fwater
melon
before
oraft
erthee
atingof
Salvadoran
fruitisu
seful
Foro
neweek
Salva
dora
persica
LKU
H-369
Peelu
Salvadoraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
watertaken
asteaand
common
lyused
asap
urify
ingagent
Asn
eeded
Solanu
msuratte
nse
Burm
fKU
H-370
Kand
ari
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
owdero
fdrie
dfruitsistakenwith
water
fora
perio
dto
treatpilesFreshplantsare
boiledin
3tim
esmorew
aterTh
ewater
isfilteredandmixed
with
sugartoform
syrup
andused
fore
czem
aand
bloo
dpu
rificatio
n
Syrupisused
twicea
day
asneeded
fora
perio
dof
for2
mon
thsfor
treatment
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Chenopodium
album
LKU
H-322
Bathu
Chenop
odiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
root
Extractthe
juicefrom
theirleavesw
hich
istakenorallyas
alaxativeDrie
dleaves
paste
isused
foru
rinarypain
Asn
eeded
Cicera
rietin
umLinn
KU
H-323
Channa
Papilio
naceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
seeds
25gm
ofseed
coat(te
sta)o
froaste
dgram
sis
soaked
in250g
ofwater
atnightand
crushed
inthem
orning
andstrainedTh
estrained
water
istakenorally
Thisph
ytotherapy
isconsidered
tobe
useful
forc
onstipatio
n
Asn
eeded
Cichorium
intybu
sL
KUH-324
Kasni
Asteraceae
Herb
Wild
Who
leplant
Freshplantsareb
oiledandsugarisa
dded
todecoctionto
form
syrupandused
orallyfor
stomach
Syrupused
twicea
dayfor
aperiodas
needed
Cirsium
arvense(L)
ScopKU
H-325
Leh
Asteraceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Extracto
fleavesu
sedfora
bdom
inalpain
ofcattle
Asn
eeded
Citru
lluscolocynthis(L)
KUH-326
Karthu
ma
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
makesafoofa
nduse
itorallyforc
onstipatio
nAsn
eeded
Citru
smedica
Linn
KU
H-327
Nim
boRu
taceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitsand
leaves
Fruitextractismixed
with
watersaltand
sugara
ndused
orallyto
controlblood
pressure
andvomiting
Fruitextractism
ixed
with
honeyandfre
shmilk
tomakeitspaste
andappliedon
face
forp
imples
Forskinthep
asteisused
atnightfor
onem
onth
foro
ther
purposesitis
used
asneeded
Cleomeb
rachycarpa
VahlK
UH-328
Gandi
booti
Capp
aridaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsdriedun
dershade
areg
roun
dto
make
powderTh
epurep
owderisu
sedorallyfor
abdo
minalpain
Asn
eeded
Convolvulusa
rvensis
LKU
H-329
Wanvehri
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
5kgplants
driedun
dershadeare
mixed
with
12literso
fwater
atnighttomakes
yrup
and
used
orallyforskindiseases
Inthem
orning
onec
upof
thiswater
isused
onem
ptysto
machor
isused
thric
eadayfora
perio
das
needed
Cordiadichotom
aFo
rsterf
KUH-330
Lasora
Boraginaceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
Eatin
gof
fruitas
neededbeforem
ealis
recommendedforthe
treatmento
fmasculin
esexu
alweakn
ess
Asn
eeded
Coria
ndrum
sativ
umL
KUH-331
Dhania
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
and
fruits
Abou
t50g
ofdriedfruitisb
oiledin
oneliter
ofwater
tillh
alfo
fthe
water
isleft
The
decoctionisused
fora
sthm
aand
coug
hFreshleaves
areg
roun
dwith
minttomake
powdera
ndused
orallyford
iuretic
purposes
Depends
upon
disease
severity
Cucumissativ
usLinn
KUH-332
Kheera
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruits
Duringsevere
fevertheirpieces
arer
ubbedon
thes
oleo
fthe
feetandalso
good
ford
igestio
nAsrequired
Cuscutareflexa
Roxb
KUH-333
Loot
booti
Con
volvulaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsared
riedandbu
rntTh
eash
isapplied
tothea
ffected
area
Asn
eeded
Cymbopogon
jawa
rancusa
(Jones)Schu
ltKU
H-334
Khawi
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Root
Upp
erpartso
fthe
rootsa
rebo
iledin
water
Thew
ater
isstr
ainedandisgivenorallyto
the
child
renalon
gwith
sugarfor
dyspepsia
and
typh
oid
2-3tim
esdaily
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Dau
cuscarotaL
KUH-335
Gajar
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Ediblepo
rtionincreasessight
visio
nAs
needed
DalbergiasissooRo
xb
KUH-336
Tali
Fabaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
70gof
youn
gleaves
ofbu
dsiscrushedOne
glasso
fwater
isaddedto
itandstrainedTh
isisuseful
forp
ilesjaun
diceand
thefeelin
gof
hotnessinsoleof
thefeet
Thes
trainedwater
istakendaily
andcontinued
for10days
DaturametelL
KUH-337
Datura
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Roosttheirleaves
andinhaletheirsmokefor
thetreatmento
fasth
maTh
eirseeds
areu
sed
asexpectorantanddo
noteatitin
excess
amou
ntotherwise
itwill
belethal
Asn
eeded
ErucasativaMill
KUH-338
Usoo
Brassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Aeria
lparts
5kgyoun
gbranches
alon
gwith
leaves
are
boiledin
15kg
water
anddecoctionis
obtainedTh
en5k
gmilletflo
urismixed
with
thed
ecoctio
nandisgivenorallyto
theh
orses
Asn
eeded
Eucalyptus
camaldu
lensis
Dehnh
KU
H-339
Safeda
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leafandbark
Tend
ershoo
tand
youn
gleaves
arec
rushed
andtheirsmellgives
tempo
rary
reliefin
coug
hAsn
eeded
Eugeniajambolana
Linn
KU
H-340
Jaman
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
and
fruit
Dry
then
onediblepo
rtionof
theirfruitand
then
grinditandtake
1-2spoo
nsdaily
for3
daysitw
illsto
pthes
everes
tomachprob
lems
andalso
thispo
wderisu
sedforthe
treatment
ofdiabetics
Twicea
day
Fagoniacretica
LKU
H-341
Dhaman
Zygoph
yllaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantisc
rushed
anddecoctionistakenwith
water
forp
ilesa
ndurinaryinfection
1teaspoo
nof
powderis
takenwith
breadthric
eaday
Ficusb
enghalensis
LKU
H-342
Bohirbargad
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Fruitdriedun
dershadeisg
roun
dto
form
powderTh
ispo
wderisu
sedorallyto
treat
abdo
minalpain
Takenwith
water
twicein
day
Ficuscarica
LKU
H-343
Anjeer
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
2ndash4fig
s(fruit)ares
oakedin
water
ormilk
atnightand
used
inthem
orning
onem
pty
stomachTh
isisconsidered
tobe
very
effectiv
efor
thetreatmento
fpilesFruitis
used
toremovek
idneysto
ne
Usedin
them
orning
onem
ptysto
machfor10
days
FicusreligiosaL
KUH-344
Peepal
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitand
bark
Burn
theb
arkandmakep
owderfrom
this
coalbark
andtake
orally5gram
sofitw
ithwater
ford
iarrho
eaFruitisused
forw
ound
healing
Asn
eeded
Foenicu
lum
vulga
reMill
KUH-345
Saun
fAp
iaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Equalquantities
offenn
elfruitcoria
nder
fruitandsugara
remixed
andgrou
ndtogether
tomakep
owdera
ndrecommended
ascarm
inativeFenn
elfruitfre
shmintleaves
andgreenteaa
rebo
iledused
forv
omiting
Thep
owderisu
sedtwice
aday
after
mealas
carm
inativea
ndfor
vomiting
andform
enses
pain
them
ixture
isused
twicea
day
6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Grew
iaasiaticaL
KUH-346
Phalsa
Tiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leavesfruit
andbark
1kgfruitisc
rushed
with
fingersin
1litero
fwater
andthen
strainedSugar
isaddedto
the
strained
juicetomakes
yrup
Thes
yrup
istakenorallyforb
lood
purifying
feverand
gastrointestinaldisorders
Asn
eeded
Helianthus
annu
usL
KUH-347
Surajm
ukhi
Asteraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsleaves
andflo
wers
Leaves
andseedsa
recrushedandused
orally
andderm
allyagainstfever
andother
purposes
For2
days
Heliotropium
europaeum
LKU
H-348
PeepatBo
oti
Boraginaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
lant
iscrushedto
makep
asteTh
epaste
isappliedas
poultic
etothea
ffected
area
For3
days
Jasm
inum
grandiflorum
LKU
H-349
Cham
beli
Oleaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Juiceo
fwho
leplantisp
reparedandused
orallyagainsth
eartdiseases
anddiabetes
Asn
eeded
Laws
oniainermisL
KUH-350
Mehnd
iLythraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Leaves
arec
rushed
andpaste
isappliedon
solesa
ndhairs
Asn
eeded
Mom
ordica
charantia
Linn
KUH-351
Karela
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leafflow
er
andfruits
Leaves
arec
rushed
andbo
iledandtakenas
teasomes
altisa
lsomixed
andused
forskin
diseases
andbloo
dpu
rificatio
nFruitisu
sed
asvegetablea
ndused
ford
iabetic
s
Asn
eeded
Menthavirid
isL
KUH-352
Podina
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
orallyfor
vomiting
andsto
machdisorders
Asn
eeded
Moringa
oleiferaLa
m
KUH-353
Sohanjna
Moringaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Cuttheirroot
andbo
ilitin
water
andaft
erthataddmilk
tothiswater
anddrinkitwhich
breaks
thek
idneysto
ne
Asn
eeded
Morus
alba
LKU
H-354
Toot
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Eattheirfruitswhich
providethe
energy
totheh
eart
Asn
eeded
Nann
orrhopsritchieana
Griff
KUH-355
Mazri
Palm
aeSh
rubno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
Mostly
theirleavesa
rebo
iledandthen
this
juiceisu
sedorallyforc
arminativea
ndveterin
arytre
atment
Ocim
umbasilicu
mL
KUH-356
Niazbo
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsa
ndleaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
for
gastrointestinalandrespira
tory
infections
Asn
eeded
Oxalis
cornicu
lata
LKU
H-357
Khatti
boti
Oxalid
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Extracto
fwho
leplantisu
sedorallyforb
lood
purifi
catio
nAsn
eeded
Peganu
mharm
ala
LKU
H-358
Harmal
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
seeds
Asm
allquantity
ofharm
alas
eeds
alon
gwith
smallquantity
oftables
altistaken
with
water
fora
fewdays
asexpectorant
Dosed
epends
ondisease
severity
Phoenixdactylifer
aL
KUH-359
Khajoor
Palm
aeTreenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaflets
(spines)
Thelow
estleaflets(spines)of
compo
undleaf
arec
rushed
andbo
iledTh
estrainedwater
istakenorallyforg
eneralpain
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Plantago
ovataFo
rsk
KUH-360
Ispaghula
Plantaginaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
12gm
seedsa
retakenwith
milk
atnightfor
constip
ation
12gm
seedssugarand1g
lassof
water
arem
ixed
andshaken
welltocure
jaun
dice
Twicea
day
Polyg
onum
barbatum
LKU
H-361
Karaveera
Polygonaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsarec
rushed
toform
paste
the
paste
isused
aspo
ultic
eonthea
ffected
area
daily
for
3days
Fora
perio
dof
threed
ays
Portulacaoleracea
LKU
H-362
Lunrak
Portulacaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
Equalamou
ntso
fseeds
ofPortulaca
coria
nderA
rgyreia
speciosaand
tables
ugar
areg
roun
dto
makep
owder(safoof)Itisan
effectiv
etraditio
nalphytotherapyused
for
nightemission
10gm
powderistaken
with
water
twicea
day
Punica
granatum
LKU
H-363
Anar
Punicaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
mixthissafoof
with
water
anditisgivenorallyto
child
ren
Mostly
twicea
day
Raphanus
sativ
usL
KUH-364
Moo
liBrassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Rootsa
ndedibleparts
Paste
ofroot
isform
edandused
forskin
infections
Twotim
esad
ay
Ricin
uscommun
isL
KUH-365
Herno
liEu
phorbiaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
fruit
Heatthe
leaves
andfruitsandthen
they
releasethe
oilw
hich
isleaped
onthed
esire
dplaceo
rorgansw
here
pain
isfelt
Asn
eeded
Rosa
indica
Lind
lRo
sMon
ogr
KUH-366
Gulab
Rosaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Flow
erFreshpetalsarem
ixed
with
sugartomake
gulkandandkept
inbo
ttlea
ndused
for
stomachdisorders
Asn
eeded
Saccharum
benghalen
sisRe
tzK
UH-367
Kana
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterand
after
anho
uritwillsettled
ownin
theb
ottom
Thes
trainedwater
isgivento
thea
nimals
sufferin
gfro
mldquourin
eretentio
nrdquodisease
Asn
eeded
Salva
dora
oleoides
DecneK
UH-368
Jal
Salvadoraceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
250g
mof
fruitsisplaced
inac
layeypo
tand
itsmou
thisclo
sedin
ordertopreventthe
entrance
ofwater
inthep
otTh
epot
isplaced
inab
ucketo
fwater
fora
nightTh
efruitis
used
inthem
orning
onem
ptysto
mach
Eatin
gof
fruito
fwater
melon
before
oraft
erthee
atingof
Salvadoran
fruitisu
seful
Foro
neweek
Salva
dora
persica
LKU
H-369
Peelu
Salvadoraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
watertaken
asteaand
common
lyused
asap
urify
ingagent
Asn
eeded
Solanu
msuratte
nse
Burm
fKU
H-370
Kand
ari
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
owdero
fdrie
dfruitsistakenwith
water
fora
perio
dto
treatpilesFreshplantsare
boiledin
3tim
esmorew
aterTh
ewater
isfilteredandmixed
with
sugartoform
syrup
andused
fore
czem
aand
bloo
dpu
rificatio
n
Syrupisused
twicea
day
asneeded
fora
perio
dof
for2
mon
thsfor
treatment
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta
ble2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Dau
cuscarotaL
KUH-335
Gajar
Apiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Root
Ediblepo
rtionincreasessight
visio
nAs
needed
DalbergiasissooRo
xb
KUH-336
Tali
Fabaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
70gof
youn
gleaves
ofbu
dsiscrushedOne
glasso
fwater
isaddedto
itandstrainedTh
isisuseful
forp
ilesjaun
diceand
thefeelin
gof
hotnessinsoleof
thefeet
Thes
trainedwater
istakendaily
andcontinued
for10days
DaturametelL
KUH-337
Datura
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Roosttheirleaves
andinhaletheirsmokefor
thetreatmento
fasth
maTh
eirseeds
areu
sed
asexpectorantanddo
noteatitin
excess
amou
ntotherwise
itwill
belethal
Asn
eeded
ErucasativaMill
KUH-338
Usoo
Brassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Aeria
lparts
5kgyoun
gbranches
alon
gwith
leaves
are
boiledin
15kg
water
anddecoctionis
obtainedTh
en5k
gmilletflo
urismixed
with
thed
ecoctio
nandisgivenorallyto
theh
orses
Asn
eeded
Eucalyptus
camaldu
lensis
Dehnh
KU
H-339
Safeda
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leafandbark
Tend
ershoo
tand
youn
gleaves
arec
rushed
andtheirsmellgives
tempo
rary
reliefin
coug
hAsn
eeded
Eugeniajambolana
Linn
KU
H-340
Jaman
Myrtaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Bark
and
fruit
Dry
then
onediblepo
rtionof
theirfruitand
then
grinditandtake
1-2spoo
nsdaily
for3
daysitw
illsto
pthes
everes
tomachprob
lems
andalso
thispo
wderisu
sedforthe
treatment
ofdiabetics
Twicea
day
Fagoniacretica
LKU
H-341
Dhaman
Zygoph
yllaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantisc
rushed
anddecoctionistakenwith
water
forp
ilesa
ndurinaryinfection
1teaspoo
nof
powderis
takenwith
breadthric
eaday
Ficusb
enghalensis
LKU
H-342
Bohirbargad
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Fruitdriedun
dershadeisg
roun
dto
form
powderTh
ispo
wderisu
sedorallyto
treat
abdo
minalpain
Takenwith
water
twicein
day
Ficuscarica
LKU
H-343
Anjeer
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
2ndash4fig
s(fruit)ares
oakedin
water
ormilk
atnightand
used
inthem
orning
onem
pty
stomachTh
isisconsidered
tobe
very
effectiv
efor
thetreatmento
fpilesFruitis
used
toremovek
idneysto
ne
Usedin
them
orning
onem
ptysto
machfor10
days
FicusreligiosaL
KUH-344
Peepal
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruitand
bark
Burn
theb
arkandmakep
owderfrom
this
coalbark
andtake
orally5gram
sofitw
ithwater
ford
iarrho
eaFruitisused
forw
ound
healing
Asn
eeded
Foenicu
lum
vulga
reMill
KUH-345
Saun
fAp
iaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Equalquantities
offenn
elfruitcoria
nder
fruitandsugara
remixed
andgrou
ndtogether
tomakep
owdera
ndrecommended
ascarm
inativeFenn
elfruitfre
shmintleaves
andgreenteaa
rebo
iledused
forv
omiting
Thep
owderisu
sedtwice
aday
after
mealas
carm
inativea
ndfor
vomiting
andform
enses
pain
them
ixture
isused
twicea
day
6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Grew
iaasiaticaL
KUH-346
Phalsa
Tiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leavesfruit
andbark
1kgfruitisc
rushed
with
fingersin
1litero
fwater
andthen
strainedSugar
isaddedto
the
strained
juicetomakes
yrup
Thes
yrup
istakenorallyforb
lood
purifying
feverand
gastrointestinaldisorders
Asn
eeded
Helianthus
annu
usL
KUH-347
Surajm
ukhi
Asteraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsleaves
andflo
wers
Leaves
andseedsa
recrushedandused
orally
andderm
allyagainstfever
andother
purposes
For2
days
Heliotropium
europaeum
LKU
H-348
PeepatBo
oti
Boraginaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
lant
iscrushedto
makep
asteTh
epaste
isappliedas
poultic
etothea
ffected
area
For3
days
Jasm
inum
grandiflorum
LKU
H-349
Cham
beli
Oleaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Juiceo
fwho
leplantisp
reparedandused
orallyagainsth
eartdiseases
anddiabetes
Asn
eeded
Laws
oniainermisL
KUH-350
Mehnd
iLythraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Leaves
arec
rushed
andpaste
isappliedon
solesa
ndhairs
Asn
eeded
Mom
ordica
charantia
Linn
KUH-351
Karela
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leafflow
er
andfruits
Leaves
arec
rushed
andbo
iledandtakenas
teasomes
altisa
lsomixed
andused
forskin
diseases
andbloo
dpu
rificatio
nFruitisu
sed
asvegetablea
ndused
ford
iabetic
s
Asn
eeded
Menthavirid
isL
KUH-352
Podina
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
orallyfor
vomiting
andsto
machdisorders
Asn
eeded
Moringa
oleiferaLa
m
KUH-353
Sohanjna
Moringaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Cuttheirroot
andbo
ilitin
water
andaft
erthataddmilk
tothiswater
anddrinkitwhich
breaks
thek
idneysto
ne
Asn
eeded
Morus
alba
LKU
H-354
Toot
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Eattheirfruitswhich
providethe
energy
totheh
eart
Asn
eeded
Nann
orrhopsritchieana
Griff
KUH-355
Mazri
Palm
aeSh
rubno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
Mostly
theirleavesa
rebo
iledandthen
this
juiceisu
sedorallyforc
arminativea
ndveterin
arytre
atment
Ocim
umbasilicu
mL
KUH-356
Niazbo
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsa
ndleaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
for
gastrointestinalandrespira
tory
infections
Asn
eeded
Oxalis
cornicu
lata
LKU
H-357
Khatti
boti
Oxalid
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Extracto
fwho
leplantisu
sedorallyforb
lood
purifi
catio
nAsn
eeded
Peganu
mharm
ala
LKU
H-358
Harmal
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
seeds
Asm
allquantity
ofharm
alas
eeds
alon
gwith
smallquantity
oftables
altistaken
with
water
fora
fewdays
asexpectorant
Dosed
epends
ondisease
severity
Phoenixdactylifer
aL
KUH-359
Khajoor
Palm
aeTreenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaflets
(spines)
Thelow
estleaflets(spines)of
compo
undleaf
arec
rushed
andbo
iledTh
estrainedwater
istakenorallyforg
eneralpain
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Plantago
ovataFo
rsk
KUH-360
Ispaghula
Plantaginaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
12gm
seedsa
retakenwith
milk
atnightfor
constip
ation
12gm
seedssugarand1g
lassof
water
arem
ixed
andshaken
welltocure
jaun
dice
Twicea
day
Polyg
onum
barbatum
LKU
H-361
Karaveera
Polygonaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsarec
rushed
toform
paste
the
paste
isused
aspo
ultic
eonthea
ffected
area
daily
for
3days
Fora
perio
dof
threed
ays
Portulacaoleracea
LKU
H-362
Lunrak
Portulacaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
Equalamou
ntso
fseeds
ofPortulaca
coria
nderA
rgyreia
speciosaand
tables
ugar
areg
roun
dto
makep
owder(safoof)Itisan
effectiv
etraditio
nalphytotherapyused
for
nightemission
10gm
powderistaken
with
water
twicea
day
Punica
granatum
LKU
H-363
Anar
Punicaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
mixthissafoof
with
water
anditisgivenorallyto
child
ren
Mostly
twicea
day
Raphanus
sativ
usL
KUH-364
Moo
liBrassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Rootsa
ndedibleparts
Paste
ofroot
isform
edandused
forskin
infections
Twotim
esad
ay
Ricin
uscommun
isL
KUH-365
Herno
liEu
phorbiaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
fruit
Heatthe
leaves
andfruitsandthen
they
releasethe
oilw
hich
isleaped
onthed
esire
dplaceo
rorgansw
here
pain
isfelt
Asn
eeded
Rosa
indica
Lind
lRo
sMon
ogr
KUH-366
Gulab
Rosaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Flow
erFreshpetalsarem
ixed
with
sugartomake
gulkandandkept
inbo
ttlea
ndused
for
stomachdisorders
Asn
eeded
Saccharum
benghalen
sisRe
tzK
UH-367
Kana
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterand
after
anho
uritwillsettled
ownin
theb
ottom
Thes
trainedwater
isgivento
thea
nimals
sufferin
gfro
mldquourin
eretentio
nrdquodisease
Asn
eeded
Salva
dora
oleoides
DecneK
UH-368
Jal
Salvadoraceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
250g
mof
fruitsisplaced
inac
layeypo
tand
itsmou
thisclo
sedin
ordertopreventthe
entrance
ofwater
inthep
otTh
epot
isplaced
inab
ucketo
fwater
fora
nightTh
efruitis
used
inthem
orning
onem
ptysto
mach
Eatin
gof
fruito
fwater
melon
before
oraft
erthee
atingof
Salvadoran
fruitisu
seful
Foro
neweek
Salva
dora
persica
LKU
H-369
Peelu
Salvadoraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
watertaken
asteaand
common
lyused
asap
urify
ingagent
Asn
eeded
Solanu
msuratte
nse
Burm
fKU
H-370
Kand
ari
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
owdero
fdrie
dfruitsistakenwith
water
fora
perio
dto
treatpilesFreshplantsare
boiledin
3tim
esmorew
aterTh
ewater
isfilteredandmixed
with
sugartoform
syrup
andused
fore
czem
aand
bloo
dpu
rificatio
n
Syrupisused
twicea
day
asneeded
fora
perio
dof
for2
mon
thsfor
treatment
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Grew
iaasiaticaL
KUH-346
Phalsa
Tiliaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leavesfruit
andbark
1kgfruitisc
rushed
with
fingersin
1litero
fwater
andthen
strainedSugar
isaddedto
the
strained
juicetomakes
yrup
Thes
yrup
istakenorallyforb
lood
purifying
feverand
gastrointestinaldisorders
Asn
eeded
Helianthus
annu
usL
KUH-347
Surajm
ukhi
Asteraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsleaves
andflo
wers
Leaves
andseedsa
recrushedandused
orally
andderm
allyagainstfever
andother
purposes
For2
days
Heliotropium
europaeum
LKU
H-348
PeepatBo
oti
Boraginaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
lant
iscrushedto
makep
asteTh
epaste
isappliedas
poultic
etothea
ffected
area
For3
days
Jasm
inum
grandiflorum
LKU
H-349
Cham
beli
Oleaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Juiceo
fwho
leplantisp
reparedandused
orallyagainsth
eartdiseases
anddiabetes
Asn
eeded
Laws
oniainermisL
KUH-350
Mehnd
iLythraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Leaves
arec
rushed
andpaste
isappliedon
solesa
ndhairs
Asn
eeded
Mom
ordica
charantia
Linn
KUH-351
Karela
Cucurbita
ceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leafflow
er
andfruits
Leaves
arec
rushed
andbo
iledandtakenas
teasomes
altisa
lsomixed
andused
forskin
diseases
andbloo
dpu
rificatio
nFruitisu
sed
asvegetablea
ndused
ford
iabetic
s
Asn
eeded
Menthavirid
isL
KUH-352
Podina
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Leaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
orallyfor
vomiting
andsto
machdisorders
Asn
eeded
Moringa
oleiferaLa
m
KUH-353
Sohanjna
Moringaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Who
leplant
Cuttheirroot
andbo
ilitin
water
andaft
erthataddmilk
tothiswater
anddrinkitwhich
breaks
thek
idneysto
ne
Asn
eeded
Morus
alba
LKU
H-354
Toot
Moraceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Eattheirfruitswhich
providethe
energy
totheh
eart
Asn
eeded
Nann
orrhopsritchieana
Griff
KUH-355
Mazri
Palm
aeSh
rubno
nend
emic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
Mostly
theirleavesa
rebo
iledandthen
this
juiceisu
sedorallyforc
arminativea
ndveterin
arytre
atment
Ocim
umbasilicu
mL
KUH-356
Niazbo
Lamiaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Seedsa
ndleaves
Freshleaves
ofmintniazbofennelfruit
and
greenteaa
rebo
iledandused
for
gastrointestinalandrespira
tory
infections
Asn
eeded
Oxalis
cornicu
lata
LKU
H-357
Khatti
boti
Oxalid
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Extracto
fwho
leplantisu
sedorallyforb
lood
purifi
catio
nAsn
eeded
Peganu
mharm
ala
LKU
H-358
Harmal
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
seeds
Asm
allquantity
ofharm
alas
eeds
alon
gwith
smallquantity
oftables
altistaken
with
water
fora
fewdays
asexpectorant
Dosed
epends
ondisease
severity
Phoenixdactylifer
aL
KUH-359
Khajoor
Palm
aeTreenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaflets
(spines)
Thelow
estleaflets(spines)of
compo
undleaf
arec
rushed
andbo
iledTh
estrainedwater
istakenorallyforg
eneralpain
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Plantago
ovataFo
rsk
KUH-360
Ispaghula
Plantaginaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
12gm
seedsa
retakenwith
milk
atnightfor
constip
ation
12gm
seedssugarand1g
lassof
water
arem
ixed
andshaken
welltocure
jaun
dice
Twicea
day
Polyg
onum
barbatum
LKU
H-361
Karaveera
Polygonaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsarec
rushed
toform
paste
the
paste
isused
aspo
ultic
eonthea
ffected
area
daily
for
3days
Fora
perio
dof
threed
ays
Portulacaoleracea
LKU
H-362
Lunrak
Portulacaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
Equalamou
ntso
fseeds
ofPortulaca
coria
nderA
rgyreia
speciosaand
tables
ugar
areg
roun
dto
makep
owder(safoof)Itisan
effectiv
etraditio
nalphytotherapyused
for
nightemission
10gm
powderistaken
with
water
twicea
day
Punica
granatum
LKU
H-363
Anar
Punicaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
mixthissafoof
with
water
anditisgivenorallyto
child
ren
Mostly
twicea
day
Raphanus
sativ
usL
KUH-364
Moo
liBrassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Rootsa
ndedibleparts
Paste
ofroot
isform
edandused
forskin
infections
Twotim
esad
ay
Ricin
uscommun
isL
KUH-365
Herno
liEu
phorbiaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
fruit
Heatthe
leaves
andfruitsandthen
they
releasethe
oilw
hich
isleaped
onthed
esire
dplaceo
rorgansw
here
pain
isfelt
Asn
eeded
Rosa
indica
Lind
lRo
sMon
ogr
KUH-366
Gulab
Rosaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Flow
erFreshpetalsarem
ixed
with
sugartomake
gulkandandkept
inbo
ttlea
ndused
for
stomachdisorders
Asn
eeded
Saccharum
benghalen
sisRe
tzK
UH-367
Kana
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterand
after
anho
uritwillsettled
ownin
theb
ottom
Thes
trainedwater
isgivento
thea
nimals
sufferin
gfro
mldquourin
eretentio
nrdquodisease
Asn
eeded
Salva
dora
oleoides
DecneK
UH-368
Jal
Salvadoraceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
250g
mof
fruitsisplaced
inac
layeypo
tand
itsmou
thisclo
sedin
ordertopreventthe
entrance
ofwater
inthep
otTh
epot
isplaced
inab
ucketo
fwater
fora
nightTh
efruitis
used
inthem
orning
onem
ptysto
mach
Eatin
gof
fruito
fwater
melon
before
oraft
erthee
atingof
Salvadoran
fruitisu
seful
Foro
neweek
Salva
dora
persica
LKU
H-369
Peelu
Salvadoraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
watertaken
asteaand
common
lyused
asap
urify
ingagent
Asn
eeded
Solanu
msuratte
nse
Burm
fKU
H-370
Kand
ari
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
owdero
fdrie
dfruitsistakenwith
water
fora
perio
dto
treatpilesFreshplantsare
boiledin
3tim
esmorew
aterTh
ewater
isfilteredandmixed
with
sugartoform
syrup
andused
fore
czem
aand
bloo
dpu
rificatio
n
Syrupisused
twicea
day
asneeded
fora
perio
dof
for2
mon
thsfor
treatment
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Plantago
ovataFo
rsk
KUH-360
Ispaghula
Plantaginaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
12gm
seedsa
retakenwith
milk
atnightfor
constip
ation
12gm
seedssugarand1g
lassof
water
arem
ixed
andshaken
welltocure
jaun
dice
Twicea
day
Polyg
onum
barbatum
LKU
H-361
Karaveera
Polygonaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Plantsarec
rushed
toform
paste
the
paste
isused
aspo
ultic
eonthea
ffected
area
daily
for
3days
Fora
perio
dof
threed
ays
Portulacaoleracea
LKU
H-362
Lunrak
Portulacaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Seeds
Equalamou
ntso
fseeds
ofPortulaca
coria
nderA
rgyreia
speciosaand
tables
ugar
areg
roun
dto
makep
owder(safoof)Itisan
effectiv
etraditio
nalphytotherapyused
for
nightemission
10gm
powderistaken
with
water
twicea
day
Punica
granatum
LKU
H-363
Anar
Punicaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Fruit
Crushthed
riedfruitand
mixthissafoof
with
water
anditisgivenorallyto
child
ren
Mostly
twicea
day
Raphanus
sativ
usL
KUH-364
Moo
liBrassic
aceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Rootsa
ndedibleparts
Paste
ofroot
isform
edandused
forskin
infections
Twotim
esad
ay
Ricin
uscommun
isL
KUH-365
Herno
liEu
phorbiaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
and
fruit
Heatthe
leaves
andfruitsandthen
they
releasethe
oilw
hich
isleaped
onthed
esire
dplaceo
rorgansw
here
pain
isfelt
Asn
eeded
Rosa
indica
Lind
lRo
sMon
ogr
KUH-366
Gulab
Rosaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Flow
erFreshpetalsarem
ixed
with
sugartomake
gulkandandkept
inbo
ttlea
ndused
for
stomachdisorders
Asn
eeded
Saccharum
benghalen
sisRe
tzK
UH-367
Kana
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leaves
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterand
after
anho
uritwillsettled
ownin
theb
ottom
Thes
trainedwater
isgivento
thea
nimals
sufferin
gfro
mldquourin
eretentio
nrdquodisease
Asn
eeded
Salva
dora
oleoides
DecneK
UH-368
Jal
Salvadoraceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
Fruit
250g
mof
fruitsisplaced
inac
layeypo
tand
itsmou
thisclo
sedin
ordertopreventthe
entrance
ofwater
inthep
otTh
epot
isplaced
inab
ucketo
fwater
fora
nightTh
efruitis
used
inthem
orning
onem
ptysto
mach
Eatin
gof
fruito
fwater
melon
before
oraft
erthee
atingof
Salvadoran
fruitisu
seful
Foro
neweek
Salva
dora
persica
LKU
H-369
Peelu
Salvadoraceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Wild
Bark
Bark
isbo
iledin
watertaken
asteaand
common
lyused
asap
urify
ingagent
Asn
eeded
Solanu
msuratte
nse
Burm
fKU
H-370
Kand
ari
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thep
owdero
fdrie
dfruitsistakenwith
water
fora
perio
dto
treatpilesFreshplantsare
boiledin
3tim
esmorew
aterTh
ewater
isfilteredandmixed
with
sugartoform
syrup
andused
fore
czem
aand
bloo
dpu
rificatio
n
Syrupisused
twicea
day
asneeded
fora
perio
dof
for2
mon
thsfor
treatment
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Table2Con
tinued
Botanicaln
amevoucher
specim
ennu
mber
Localn
ame
Family
Habitendemism
Status
Partused
Recipes
Dosage
Solanu
mnigrum
LKU
H-371
Makko
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Leafandfruit
Ripe
fruitsared
irectlygivenorallyfor
constip
ation
plantp
asteisform
edand
appliedderm
allyforh
eadachesandjointp
ain
Plantjuice
isused
ford
ysentery
andfever
Asn
eeded
Tamarixaphylla
(L)
KarstKU
H-372
Khagal
Tamaricaceae
Shrubno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Barkleaves
andtwigs
Ashof
theleavesism
ixed
with
waterafte
rhalfan
hour
thew
ater
isstrained
(filtered)
andbo
iledAfte
rboilin
gthew
ater
isevaporated
andthes
altisleft
behind
Then
1gm
saltistakenwith
Sharbat-e
-Bazoori
Itis
ausefultraditio
nalphytotherapyforjaund
ice
Leaves
areb
oiledin
waterTh
ewater
isstr
ainedandtheh
otleaves
aretiedon
the
affectedarea
dailyTh
isph
ytotherapy
isused
forthe
treatmento
fwou
nd
Twicea
dayfora
perio
das
needed
forjaund
icefor
wou
ndhealingitisused
foro
neweek
Thujaoccid
entalis
LKU
H-373
Thuja
Cupressaceae
Treenon
endemic
Cultivated
Leaves
Boiltheirleavesinthew
ater
andthen
wash
them
outh
with
thiswateritp
rovidesrapid
reliefindentalpainFresh
leaves
areb
urned
andtheirsmoked
ecreases
temperature
infever
Asn
eeded
Tribulus
terrestrisL
KU
H-374
Bhakra
Gok
hru
Zygoph
yllaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
ThefruitiscrushedanddriedSugaras
neededism
ixed
with
thed
riedpo
wdera
ndis
used
orallyforu
rinaryinfection
Four
times
inad
ayfor3
mon
ths
Violasto
cksii
Boiss
KUH-375
Makhanr
booti
Violaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Who
leplant
Thew
holeplantalon
gwith
seedsisgrou
ndto
makep
owdera
ndused
forsexualpurpo
se
2gpo
wderisu
sedwith
1teaspo
onbu
ttere
arlyin
them
orning
onem
pty
stomachas
needed
With
aniacoagulan
s(Stocks)Dun
al
KUH-376
Akri
Solanaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Wild
Fruit
Five
tosix
driedfruitsares
oakedin
2-3cups
ofwater
atnightin
them
orning
thes
oaked
fruitsares
queezedandthew
ater
isstr
ained
andused
forb
lood
purifi
catio
nOne
dried
fruitisk
eptinteethkeepingpainFivetosix
fruitsaretaken
with
water
liketabletfor
abdo
minalpain
One
cupof
water
isused
onem
ptysto
machfor
bloo
dpu
rificatio
nAnd
foro
ther
purposesit
depend
supo
ndisease
severity
ZeamaysL
inn
KUH-377
Makkai
Poaceae
Herbno
nend
emic
Cultivated
Fruit
Dry
fruitisc
rushed
andmadeintoflo
urwhich
isused
ford
igestio
nAsn
eeded
Zizip
husjujub
aMill
KUH-378
Ber
Rham
naceae
Treenon
endemic
Wild
cultiv
ated
Leaves
and
fruits
Eattheirfruitw
hich
ishelpfulintre
atmento
fdiarrhoeaa
swellasinbloo
dpu
rificatio
nPaste
ofleaves
isused
forh
airg
rowth
Asn
eeded
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9
Table 3 Informant consensus factor (FIC) for different ailment categories
Use categories Plant species Number oftaxa (Nt)
Number of usereports (Nur)
FIC
Gastrointestinal
Avena sativa (4) Calotropis procera (6) Chenopodiumalbum (3)Cicer arietinum (2) Cichorium intybus (5) Citrullus colocynthis (9)Cleome brachycarpa (5) Cucumis sativus (7) Cymbopogon jawarancusa(6) Eugenia jambolana (12) Ficus benghalensis (4) Ficus religiosa (4)Foeniculum vulgare (8) Grewia asiatica (5) Helianthus annuus (6)Mentha viridis (5) Nannorrhops ritchiana (4) Ocimumbasilicum (5)Plantago ovata (7) Punica granatum (6)Raphanus sativus Solanum nigrum (4) Zea mays (3) Ziziphus jujuba (2)
24 122 080
RespiratoryAlbizia lebbeck (3) Coriandrum sativum (3) Daturametel (2)Eucalyptus camaldulensis (5) Ocimumbasilicum (1) Peganumharmala(6) Salvadora oleoides (3)
7 23 072
Skin infections Convolvulus arvensis (2) Jasminum grandiflorum (1)Momordica charantia (4) Raphanus sativus (2) Solanum surattense (7) 5 16 073
Fever Cucumis sativus (1) Cymbopogon jawarancusa (2) Grewia asiatica (5)Helianthus annuus (2) Solanumnigrum (1)Thuja occidentalis (3) 6 14 061
Wound healing Capparis decidua (2) Cuscuta reflexa (1) Ficus religiosa (1)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 6 041
Cardiovascular Jasminum grandiflorum (3)Morus alba (2) Raphanus sativus (2) 3 7 066
Jaundice Azadirachta indica (3) Dalbergia sissoo (1) Plantago ovata (4)Tamarix aphylla (2) 4 10 066
Rheumatism Capparis decidua (1) Polygonumbarbatum (2) 2 3 050
Vomiting Allium cepa (2) Allium sativum (1) Citrusmedica (3) Foeniculum vulgare(5) Mentha viridis (2) 5 13 066
Kidney problemsAcaciamodesta (4) Chenopodiumalbum (5) Coriandrum sativum (2)Fagonia cretica (6) Ficus carica (3) Helianthus annuus (8)Moringa oleifera (4) Tribulus terrestris (5)
8 37 080
Table 4 Average direct matrix ranking (DMR) score of fifteen key informants for ten medicinal plants species
Use diversity C desidua Z jujuba D sissoo T aphylla F cretica W coagulans M alba N retichiana Total RankFuel 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 3 27 1Medicinal 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 2 27 1Fodder 3 3 3 4 2 4 4 3 26 2Agricultural tools 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 2 21 3Construction 1 3 5 3 1 2 3 3 21 3Food 1 4 1 1 1 2 4 1 15 4Total 13 20 21 19 12 17 21 14Rank 6 2 1 3 7 4 1 5Based on use criteria (5 = best 4 = very good 3 = good 2 = less used 1 = least used 0 = no value)
level and to prove the reliability of data collected throughsemistructured interviews [18] Questionnaires designed tothe respondents (traditional healers) about medicinal plantsknowledge were mainly focused on local name of a particularmedicinal plant types of disease treated mode and methodof remedy preparation parts of the plants used use of fresh ordry plant parts use of single or mixture of plants for remedypreparation mode of administration dose requirement andusable duration regarding each medicine Questionnairesalso contained questions regarding sociocultural informa-tion
23 Medicinal Plants Collection and Preservation Plant sam-ples were collected from the field and were dried andcompressed in newspapers Newspapers were changed dailyuntil they remained dry after compression Identificationof plants was done by the expert taxonomists Dr WaheedMurad and Dr Azizullah of Kohat University of Scienceand Technology Kohat Pakistan Scientific names familynames and publication authors were corrected according tothe flora of Pakistan and software index kewensis [19] Pressedplant samples plant photographs and descriptions wereassigned voucher numbers and deposited at the herbarium at
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 20 40 60 80 100Age
Num
ber o
f pla
nts k
now
n
R2= 09145
Figure 2 Comparison between age of the people and number ofplants known (Pearsonrsquos correlation (1199032 = 0950) 119899 = 120)
31 31
16
10 96 4 3 1 1 1
05
101520253035
Parts used
Num
ber o
f pla
nts
Frui
t
Leav
es
Who
le p
lant
Seed
s
Bark
Root
s
Flow
er
Bulb
Twig
s
Pulp
of l
eave
s
Leafl
ets
Figure 3 Medicinal plants part used
the Department of Botany Kohat University of Science andTechnology Kohat Pakistan
24 Data Organization Data was organized and analyzedusing Microsoft Excel software The habits of the plants werecategorized into three groups that is herbs shrubs andtrees using available literature [19] The status of recordedplants was divided into three groups of wild cultivated andboth wild and cultivated The parts used by the healers werecategorized into 11 groups that is fruit leaves whole plantseeds bark root and so forth Human ailments treated bythe traditional healers were divided into 11 categories suchas gastrointestinal infection respiratory infection and feverRoute of administration of plant remedies was classified intothree groups such as oral dermal and both oraldermal andnasal Questionnaire data was analyzed for basic categoriza-tion of the respondentsrsquo gender age groups literacy ratio andoccupation
25 Data Analysis
251 Informant Consensus Factor (F119868119862) Descriptive statistics
were used to examine and summarize the ethnobotanical
data Based on the information obtained from the infor-mants the ailments reported were grouped into a total of11 categories The FIC results could be useful in prioritizingmedicinal plants for further scientific validation of plantsand plant products [20 21] as pharmacologically effectiveremedies are expected from plants with higher FIC values[22] The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculatedto estimate user variability of medicinal plants [23 24] FICvalues range from 000 to 100 High FIC values are obtainedwhen only one or a few plant species are reported to beused by a high proportion of informants to treat a particularailment whereas low FIC values indicate that informantsdisagree overwhich plant to use [23]High FIC values can thusbe used to pinpoint particularly interesting species for thesearch of bioactive compounds [24] FIC is calculated usingthe following formula
FIC = 119873ur minus119873t(119873ur minus 1)
(1)
where Nur is the number of individual plant use reports fora particular illness category and Nt is the total number ofspecies used by all informants for this illness category
26 Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) Data on use diversityof multipurpose medicinal plants were evaluated by directmatrix ranking (DMR) exercises as described in Cotton[25] that involved fifteen (ten men and five women) keyinformants Participants for this exercise were selected basedon their long years of experience as traditional herbal practi-tioners in the study area as described in Yineger et al [26]
261 Pearsonrsquos Correlation This statistical test was appliedbetween the age of the respondents and number of plantsknown to them The test was carried out using SPSS [27]
3 Results
Among the 120 informants 50 (415) were male and 70(585) were female The largest proportion of the respon-dents was of the elderly above 40 years old (Table 1)More than half of the respondents were illiterate (525)whilst most of those with an education received merelyprimary education (258) which reflects the unavailabilityof educational institution in the area (Table 1) Majority offemales (90) were housewives while 44 of males werefarmers followed by 24 of shopkeepers These very basicresults also reflect the reality that indigenous knowledge iswell established but seems to be decreasing in the youngergeneration The indigenous knowledge showed a significantnegative correlation (119903 = minus095 119875 lt 001) with the age of therespondents (both male and female) (Figure 2)
The present study provides information of ethnomedic-inal uses of 70 plant species belonging to 39 families and62 genera (Table 2) Out of 39 families the dominant familywith highest number of medicinal plants was Solanaceae(5 species) followed by Moraceae Poaceae (4 species) and3 species each in Liliaceae and Asteraceae Moreover thelocal healers mostly use herbs (57) followed by trees (29)
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11
(Table 2) Of the 70 species 50 were cultivated while (44)were wild (Table 2)
Different parts of medicinal plants are used as medicineby the traditional healers (Figure 3) Among the differentplant parts the leaves and fruit (31) are the most frequentlyused for the treatment of diseases followed by whole plantparts roots barks tubers seeds and stems Ethnomedicineswere mostly taken through oral route (70) followed bydermaloral (15) and dermal (11) Decoction is the mostcommon method used for remedy preparation (Table 2)The additives like milk butter boiled coffee and food arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies The most commonly treated disease (34) inthe study area was gastrointestinal disorders (Table 3) Thehealers used usually fresh plant parts for the preparation ofethnomedicines (Table 2)
There is no standardized measure on the dose for most ofthe ethnomedicines in the study area The dose depends onthe traditional healer that prepares the herbs for medicinalpurpose or it may also depend upon the disease severity Thedosage of certain plants in the region varied according to thetype of illness ranging from two spoonfuls (eg for treatmentof jaundice using syrup prepared fromAzadirachta indica) toa cup or glass (eg for blood purification and abdominal painstained water from fruit ofWithania coagulans) Most of theethnomedicines are prepared using single plant in the regionwhile some others are prepared by the mixing parts of morethan one plant for example fresh leaves ofMentha viridis andOcimum basilicum and fruit of Foeniculum vulgare are mixedand boiled to make tea used for stomach problems equalquantities of fruits of Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculumvulgare are mixed and crushed to make powder and used ascarminative and extract of bulb of Allium cepa and Menthaviridis is mixed and used for cholera
About 11 disease categories were identified from the inves-tigated region The highest FIC values were gastrointestinal(080) respiratory (072) skin infections (073) and kidneyproblems (080) (Table 3) The highest plant use citationwas for gastrointestinal disorders (122) followed by kidneyproblems (37) and respiratory infections (23) The outputof the DMR exercise on ten multipurpose medicinal plantsenabled to identify which of the multipurpose plants is themost to be under pressure in the area and the correspondingfactors that threaten the plant Accordingly Morus alba andDalbergia sissoo ranked first (the most threatened) Zizyphusjujuba ranked second Tamarix aphylla ranked thirdWitha-nia coagulans ranked fourth (Table 4) Results also indicatedthat thosemultipurposemedicinal plant species are currentlyexploitedmore for fodder fuel construction and agriculturaltools purposes besides their medicinal role
4 Discussion
41 Medicinal Plants and Related Knowledge The presentstudy provides information on 70 medicinal plants usedin the study area by local traditional healers The studyrevealed that the people of the region have been using plantresources for their various ailments The local people know
the useful plants and preparation of recipes through per-sonal experience and ancestral prescription and long utility[28]
Dominance of medicinal plant species from families ofSolanaceae Asteraceae Poaceae and Moraceae could beattributed to their wider distribution and abundance in theflora area [29 30] As leaves and fruits of medicinal plantspecies were reported to be harvested formost remedy prepa-rations gathering ofmedicinemay have little negative impacton the species It is well recognized by conservationists thatmedicinal plants primarily valued for their root parts andthose which are intensively harvested for their bark oftentend to be the most threatened by overexploitation [31]Results also showed prominent use of freshly harvested plantparts for traditional remedy preparation used against variousailments The recurrent use of freshly harvested medicinalplant materials in the area is reported to be related to thenotion of attaining high efficacy using active ingredients offresh plant parts which they thought could be lost on dryingOther ethnomedicinal inventories [26 32] have also indicatedwide use of fresh plant materials for remedy preparations dueto reportedly better efficacy related factors than use of driedplant materials
42 Growth Form and Status of Medicinal Plants Presentstudy elucidates that the herbs are the major growth formused in the region for curing human diseases followedby trees A high usage of herbs in some studies couldbe an indication of their abundance easy availability andcenturies-old traditional knowledge of the healers The trendof using more of herbaceous plants could be advantageousas it is easier to cultivate them when they are short insupply According to our study most of the medicinal plantsare being cultivated in the region The high proportionof woody plants in our survey is likely associated withthe ability of trees to withstand long dry seasons thusresulting in their abundance and year-round availabilityin arid and semiarid areas Thus the variation in medic-inal plants growth form might be associated with differ-ent sociocultural beliefs ecological status and variationin practices of traditional healers of different regions orcountries
43 Preparation Route of Administration and Dosage ofMedicinal Plants The healers of the region mostly usedethnomedicines in decoction form The medicinal plantdecoctions for various ailments might be related to theirproven effectiveness over many years of trial and indigenousknowledge accumulated on efficacy of such preparationsAdditives (milk butter boiled coffee and food) that arecommonly believed to serve as a vehicle to transport theremedies are also necessary to minimize the bitterness vom-iting and diarrhoea and to make the remedy more palatableThe finding is in line with other studies indicating that theoral route is the most preferred mode of administration [3334] Preparation of plant medicines from several plant partsis believed to cure diseases more rapidly compared to singleplant medicine [35]
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
44 Priority Medicinal Plant Species and the Ailments ThatThey Treat The highest number of plant species and highestFIC value were reported for gastrointestinal respiratorykidney and skin infections This may be related to a highprevalence of these ailments Gastrointestinal disorders andrespiratory infections particularly cholera diarrhoea dysen-tery cough asthma and bronchitis are a major concernnot only in the study area but also in the whole countryand result in high mortality rate if not treated promptly[36]
In our study the lowest FIC value below 005 was onlyrecorded for wound healing category which would typ-ically result from plant use to treat rare diseases how-ever all other diseases have FIC value above 005 sug-gesting that our survey addressed medicinal plant speciescommonly used to treat common human ailments in thestudy areas The high FIC value medicinal plants containvariety of bioactive compounds and many of them havebeen scientifically proved by various studies For examplethe natives of the region are using a large of numberof plants like Solanum nigrum Calotropis procera Grewiaasiatica Punica granatum and so forth for the treatmentof diarrhoea dysentery and other gastrointestinal disorderswhile many plants like Eucalyptus camaldulensis Corian-drum sativum Datura metel and so forth are being usedfor respiratory diseases The aforementioned plants containvariety of chemical constituents like tannins saponins alka-loids flavonoids and phenol compounds that are respon-sible for their therapeutic action against such diseases[37ndash40]
45 Direct Matrix Ranking The output of a DMR showedthe highest values (ranks) for a number of multipur-pose medicinal plants of the study area such as Morusalba Dalbergia sissoo Zizyphus jujuba Withania coagulansTamarix aphylla Fagonia cretica and Nannorhops ritchieanaThe result indicates that these plants are exploited morefor their nonmedicinal uses than for reported medicinalvalues Overharvesting of multipurpose medicinal plantspecies for construction fuel wood fodder and agricul-tural tools was found to be the responsible factors aggra-vating the depletion of the highly ranked species in thearea
46 Indigenous Knowledge It was observed during researchstudy that the knowledgeable women were more concen-trated as compared to themen of this region of Pakistan Gen-erally gender-based differences inmedicinal plant knowledgecan be derived from experience and degree of cultural contactwith curative plants [41] The study indicates that the agedpeople of the region have traditional knowledge about morenumbers of medicinal plants as compared to younger peoplewhich might be due to their least interest Hussain et al[42] in South Waziristan and Parveen et al [43] in the TharDesert of India have also reported that people older than 35years of age are more knowledgeable than the young ones onmedicinal plants and their uses
5 Conclusions
In conclusion D I Khan has plenty of medicinal plants andthe people of the region are highly dependent on these plantsfor medicinal and other ethnobotanical purposesThe peopleof the region have tremendous traditional knowledge regard-ing the utilization and preparation of various ethnomedicinalremedies Moreover they are using some medicinal plantsfor multipurpose and posing great pressures on certainmedicinal plants likeMorus alba andDalbergia sissoo Hencenatives should be educated regarding the sustainable usage ofmedicinal plants The persistence of traditional knowledge ismore among old age people however as a matter of concernyoung people are taking less interest in such knowledge dueto multiple reasons As such studies on the documentationof ethnomedicines may be extended to other areas for theprotection of traditional knowledge Further phytochemicalanalysis pharmaceutical application and clinical trials aretherefore recommended in order to evaluate the authenticityof ethnomedicines to scientific standards
Questionnaire of EthnobotanicalData Collection
Informantsrsquo Consent for the Participation in the Study
I (name of informant) hereby give my full consent andconscious to participate in this study and declare that to thebest of my knowledge the information that I have provided istrue accurate and complete
Date (signaturethumb impression of informant)
Informantsrsquo Details
Name
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Occupation
Education
Locationresidence
Data about Medicinal Plant and Its Use
Number of plants known
Names of plants (local names)
Plant part used
Cultivatedwild
Name of disease(s) treated
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13
Name of plants used for specific disease categoriesMethod of crude drug preparationUse of single or mixture of plantsMode of administrationDosage
Informant Consensus Factor
Name of plants used against disease category 1Name of plants used against disease category 2Name of plants used against disease category 3Name of plants used against disease category 4Name of plants used against disease category 5Name of plants used against disease category 6Name of plants used against disease category 7Name of plants used against disease category 8Name of plants used against disease category 9Name of plants used against disease category 10
Direct Matrix Ranking
Number of plants having NTFPs usesName of plants (local names)NTFPs uses
RemarksPlant identified asmdashmdash(botanical name and family)Signature of researcher
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of ScientificResearch King SaudUniversity Riyadh for funding the workthrough the research group Project no RGP-VPP-210
References
[1] M Ahmad M A Khan U Rashid M Zafar M Arshadand S Sultana ldquoQuality assurance of herbal drug valerian bychemotaxonomic markersrdquo African Journal of Biotechnologyvol 8 no 6 pp 1148ndash1154 2009
[2] A C Hamilton ldquoMedicinal plants conservation and liveli-hoodsrdquo Biodiversity and Conservation vol 13 no 8 pp 1477ndash1517 2004
[3] J Bhat M Kumar and R Bussmann ldquoEcological status and tra-ditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Kedarnath WildlifeSanctuary of Garhwal Himalaya Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicie vol 9 article 1 2013
[4] S KMarwatM A KhanM AhmadM Zafar and F RehmanldquoEthnomedicines for treatment of various diseases in DI KhanDistrictrdquo Sarhad Journal of Agriculture vol 24 article 2 2008
[5] G M Hocking ldquoPakistan medicinal plantsrdquo Qualitas Plan-tarum et Materiae Vegetabiles vol 5 no 1-2 pp 145ndash153 1958
[6] M Ibrar F Hussain and A Sultan ldquoEthnobotanical studieson plant resources of Ranyal Hills District Shangla PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 39 no 2 pp 329ndash337 2007
[7] A Mahmood A Mahmood and A Tabassum ldquoEthnomedici-nal survey of plants from District Sialkot Pakistanrdquo Journal ofApplied Pharmacy vol 03 pp 212ndash220 2011
[8] ZK Shinwari and S SGilani ldquoSustainable harvest ofmedicinalplants at Bulashbar Nullah Astore (Northern Pakistan)rdquo Jour-nal of Ethnopharmacology vol 84 no 2-3 pp 289ndash298 2003
[9] E Ahmed M Arshad A Saboor et al ldquoEthnobotanicalappraisal and medicinal use of plants in Patriata New Murreeevidence from Pakistanrdquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Eth-nomedicine vol 9 article 13 2013
[10] S Z Husain R N Malik M Javaid and S Bibi ldquoEthonob-otanical properties and uses of medicinal plants of MorgahBiodiversity Park Rawalpindirdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol40 no 5 pp 1897ndash1911 2008
[11] R Qureshi M Maqsood M Arshad and A K ChaudhryldquoEthnomedicinal uses of plants by the people of Kadhi areas ofKhushab Punjab Pakistanrdquo Pakistan Journal of Botany vol 43no 1 pp 121ndash133 2011
[12] Z Sher Z U D Khan and F Hussain ldquoEthnobotanical studiesof some plants of Chagharzai Valley District Buner PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1445ndash1452 2011
[13] P A Cox and M J Balick ldquoThe ethnobotanical approach todrug discoveryrdquo Scientific American vol 270 no 6 pp 82ndash871994
[14] R U Khan Facts about AZRI Pakistan Agricultural ResearchCouncil Arid Zone Research institute DI Khan Pakistan2003
[15] K L Chaudhry ldquoDistrict census report of Dera Ismail KhanrdquoCensus Publication 50 Population Census Organization Statis-ticDivisionGovernment of Pakistan Islamabad Pakistan 1998
[16] S A Shah ldquoConservation of endangered species in KhyberPakhtunkhwardquo Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences vol 21 no2 pp 400ndash404 2011
[17] Anonymous District Census Report of Dera Ismail KhanCensus Publication 1998
[18] G J Martin Ethnobotany a Methods Manual Chapman andHall London UK 1995
[19] S I Ali and M Qaiser ldquoFlora of Pakistanrdquo 2010 No 1-215 (1972-2010) Pakistan httpwwweflorasorgflora pageaspxflora id=5
[20] M J Moshi D F Otieno P K Mbabazi and A WeisheitldquoThe ethnomedicine of the haya people of bugabo ward Kageraregion north western Tanzaniardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 5 article 24 2009
[21] M Giday Z Asfaw and Z Woldu ldquoMedicinal plants of theMeinit ethnic group of Ethiopia an ethnobotanical studyrdquoJournal of Ethnopharmacology vol 124 no 3 pp 513ndash521 2009
[22] R T Trotter and M H Logan ldquoInformants consensus a newapproach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plantsrdquoin Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet N L Etkin Ed pp91ndash112 Redgrave Publishing Company Bedford Hill NY USA1986
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
[23] M Heinrich A Ankli B Frei C Weimann and O SticherldquoMedicinal plants in Mexico healersrsquo consensus and culturalimportancerdquo Social Science and Medicine vol 47 no 11 pp1859ndash1871 1998
[24] M Canales T Hernandez J Caballero et al ldquoInformantconsensus factor and antibacterial activity of the medicinalplants used by the people of San Rafael Coxcatlan PueblaMexicordquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 97 no 3 pp 429ndash439 2005
[25] C M Cotton Ethnobotany Principles and Applications JohnWiley and Sons Chichester UK 1996
[26] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoEthnovet-erinary medicinal plants at Bale Mountains National ParkEthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 112 no 1 pp 55ndash70 2007
[27] SPSS Inc SPSS Version 16 0 for Windows SPSS Chicago ILUSA 2007
[28] S K Marwat F Fazal-Ur-Rehman M A Khan M Ahmad MZafar and SGhulam ldquoMedicinal folk recipes used as traditionalphytotherapies in district Dera Ismail Khan KPK PakistanrdquoPakistan Journal of Botany vol 43 no 3 pp 1453ndash1462 2011
[29] WMuradAAhmad S AGilani andMAKhan ldquoIndigenousknowledge and folk use of medicinal plants by the tribalcommunities of Hazar Nao forest Malakand district NorthPakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 7 pp 1072ndash1086 2011
[30] F Haq H Ahmad andM Alam ldquoTraditional uses of medicinalplants of Nandiar Khuwarr catchment (District Battagram)Pakistanrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plant Research vol 1 pp 39ndash482011
[31] T Flatie T Gedif K Asres and T Gebre-Mariam ldquoEthnomed-ical survey of Berta ethnic group Assosa Zone Benishangul-Gumuz regional state mid-west Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobi-ology and Ethnomedicine vol 5 article 14 2009
[32] E Lulekal E Kelbessa T Bekele and H Yineger ldquoAnethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Mana AngetuDistrict southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology andEthnomedicine vol 4 article 10 2008
[33] W M Otang D S Grierson and R N Ndip ldquoEthnobotan-ical survey of medicinal plants used in the management ofopportunistic fungal infections in HIVAIDS patients in theAmathole district of the Eastern Cape Province South AfricardquoJournal ofMedicinal Plants Research vol 6 pp 2071ndash2080 2012
[34] F Mesfin S Demissew and T Teklehaymanot ldquoAn ethnob-otanical study of medicinal plants inWonagoWoreda SNNPREthiopiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 5article 28 2009
[35] CMuthuM Ayyanar N Raja and S Ignacimuthu ldquoMedicinalplants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District ofTamil Nadu Indiardquo Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicinevol 2 article 43 2006
[36] A Ribeiro M M Romeiras J Tavares and M T Faria ldquoEth-nobotanical survey in Canhane village district of MassingirMozambique medicinal plants and traditional knowledgerdquoJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine vol 6 article 332010
[37] D Venkatesan C M Karrunakaran and S Kumar ldquoStudieson phytochemical constituents functional group identificationand antimicrobial activity of Solanum nigrum (Solanaceae)rdquoEthnobotanical Leaflets vol 13 pp 1485ndash1503
[38] H Doshi H Satodiya C M Thakur and F Parabia ldquoPhyto-chemical screening and biological activity of Calotropis procera
against selected bacteria and Anopheles stephansi larvaerdquo Inter-national Journal of Plant Research vol 1 pp 29ndash33 2011
[39] S V C Prakash and P Indra ldquoBioactive chemical constituentsfrom pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice seed and peelrdquoEnvironment vol 1 pp 1ndash18 2011
[40] A Verma N S Pandeya K S Yadav S Singh and P SonildquoCoriandrum sativum (Linn) an ayurvedic medicinal herb ofhappinessrdquo Journal of Advances in Pharmacy and HealthcareResearch vol 1 pp 28ndash48 2011
[41] R A Voeks ldquoAre women reservoirs of traditional plant knowl-edge Gender ethnobotany and globalization in northeastBrazilrdquo Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography vol 28 no 1pp 7ndash20 2007
[42] M Hussain G M Shah and M A Khan ldquoTraditional medic-inal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valleyPakistanrdquo Ethnobotany Leaflets vol 10 pp 72ndash81 2006
[43] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007
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