Ethnobotanical profiling of the medicinal flora of Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan: Empirical reflections on multinomial logit specifications.

OBJECTIVE: To report the indigenous people's uses of plants from a multidimensional perspective in a remote area where strong ethnobotanical cultural practices prevail. METHODS: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the field during 2014-2016. Ethnobotanical data were gathered from 182 informants through oral interviews and semi-structured questionnaires. The distribution of plants was explored using both descriptive and graphical methods. Further, a Multinomial Logit Specification was applied to find out the probability of the occurrence of diverse utilization of plants in multipurpose domains. RESULTS: The study identified 202 plant species distributed among 71 families and 156 genera. Ethnobotanical data indicate that there are more medicinal (36.96%) uses of plants as compared to all other use categories. The output from the Multinomial Logit Specifications (MLS) model reveals that perennial and non-woody plants are exploited more for medicinal and food uses than annual and woody plants. In the context of ethnomedicinal uses, aerial plant parts particularly leaves are more extensively used for the preparation of herbal recipes as compared to underground parts. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study emphasize the need to create awareness among the local communities about the conservation status of plant species in order to maintain a sustainable resource of plant-derived materials into the future. The novel econometric approach employed in this study adds a new insightful methodology to the existing body of literature in the field of ethnobotany. We strongly recommend conservation measures, alongside phytochemical and pharmacological studies on the useful plant species identified in this study in order to ensure their sustainable and effective utilization

Demographic data of informants in Toli Peer National park.

<p>Demographic data of informants in Toli Peer National park.</p

Life form contribution of ethnomedicinal-flora.

<p>Life form contribution of ethnomedicinal-flora.</p

Plant parts used in herbal recipes.

<p>Plant parts used in herbal recipes.</p

Map showing location of Toli Peer National Park within Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.

<p>Map showing location of Toli Peer National Park within Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.</p

Medicinal flora of Toli Peer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.

<p>Medicinal flora of Toli Peer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan.</p

Descriptive study of plant resources in the context of the ethnomedicinal relevance of indigenous flora: A case study from Toli Peer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

<div><p>Background</p><p>This paper presents the first quantitative ethnobotanical study of the flora in Toli Peer National Park of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Being a remote area, there is a strong dependence by local people on ethnobotanical practices. Thus, we attempted to record the folk uses of the native plants of the area with a view to acknowledging and documenting the ethnobotanical knowledge. The aims of the study were to compile an inventory of the medicinal plants in the study area and to record the methods by which herbal drugs were prepared and administered.</p><p>Materials and methods</p><p>Information on the therapeutic properties of medicinal plants was collected from 64 local inhabitants and herbalists using open ended and semi-structured questionnaires over the period Aug 2013-Jul 2014. The data were recorded into a synoptic table comprising an ethnobotanical inventory of plants, the parts used, therapeutic indications and modes of application or administration. Different ethnobotanical indices i.e. relative frequencies of citation (RFC), relative importance (RI), use value (UV) and informant consensus factor (Fic), were calculated for each of the recorded medicinal plants. In addition, a correlation analysis was performed using SPSS ver. 16 to check the level of association between use value and relative frequency of citation.</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of 121 species of medicinal plants belonging to 57 families and 98 genera were recorded. The study area was dominated by herbaceous species (48%) with leaves (41%) as the most exploited plant part. The Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (9% each) were the dominant families in the study area. Among different methods of preparation, the most frequently used method was decoction (26 species) of different plant parts followed by use as juice and powder (24 species each), paste (22 species), chewing (16 species), extract (11 species), infusion (10 species) and poultice (8 species). The maximum Informant consensus factor (Fic) value was for gastro-intestinal, parasitic and hepatobiliary complaints (0.90). <i>Berberis lycium Ajuga bracteosa</i>, <i>Prunella vulgaris</i>, <i>Adiantum capillus-veneris</i>, <i>Desmodium polycarpum</i>, <i>Pinus roxburgii</i>, <i>Albizia lebbeck</i>, <i>Cedrella serrata</i>, <i>Rosa brunonii</i>, <i>Punica granatum</i>, <i>Jasminum mesnyi</i> and <i>Zanthoxylum armatum</i> were the most valuable plants with the highest UV, RFC and relative importance values. The Pearson correlation coefficient between UV and RFC (0.881) reflects a significant positive correlation between the use value and relative frequency of citation. The coefficient of determination indicated that 77% of the variability in UV could be explained in terms of RFC.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Systematic documentation of the medicinal plants in the Toli Peer National Park shows that the area is rich in plants with ethnomedicinal value and that the inhabitants of the area have significant knowledge about the use of such plants with herbal drugs commonly used to cure infirmities. The results of this study indicate that carrying out subsequent pharmacological and phytochemical investigations in this part of Pakistan could lead to new drug discoveries.</p></div

Relationship between Use value (UV) and Relative frequency of citation (RFC).

<p>Relationship between Use value (UV) and Relative frequency of citation (RFC).</p

Association between use value and relative frequency of citation.

<p>Association between use value and relative frequency of citation.</p

Informant consensus factor for different disease categories.

<p>Informant consensus factor for different disease categories.</p