Quantitative indices reveal the importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare from rural arid region.

چکیده اصلی

In the present study, quantitative ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants utilized by the local communities for treating different human ailments in selected rural villages of Punjab, Pakistan has been documented. Semi-structured interviews and field surveys were employed to conduct field investigations from March 2024 to April 2025, with a total of 105 informants aged 18-70 years. The total number of plant species recorded and reported for the cure of 14 human ailments was 50 belonging to 25 families. Fabaceae was the dominant family with 6 species, among the documented families. The most abundant life form was herbs (26 species) and the most common part used was leaves (16 species). The highest Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC = 0.34) was found in Bombax ceiba, Cenchrus echinatus and Sonchus oleraceus. Spinacia oleracea had the highest Use Value (UV = 0.08) while the lowest UV was 0.03. Mentha canadensis recorded the highest Fidelity Level (FL = 93%) for the treatment of hyperacidity and diarrhea whereas Azadirachta indica recorded the lowest FL (69%) in the treatment of scabies and pimples. Three species recorded the highest FC (36) while three other species recorded the lowest FC (24). The results showed a high diversity of medicinal plants in the study area and significant traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. There were not enough up-to-date health care facilities in rural areas, so local residents heavily depended on the use of medicinal plants for basic health care. The study emphasized the need to maintain the knowledge of the indigenous people and conserve medicinal plants resources for sustainable use and future exploration in medicine.

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