20 10 Hazrat Sher Proof

Medicinal plant diversity of Hindubag mountain, Lalku valley, District Swat Hazrat Sher, Inamuddin, Zishan Khan, Rainer W. Bussmann, Inayat Ur Rahman Research awareness and understanding of plant management the area in order to ensure proper collection and to Abstract control overgrazing. These measures would help to ensure protection of the available medicinal herb Background: Continuous studies and surveys on diversity. medicinal plants used by local communities in different parts of the world are needed for the Keywords: Medicinal plants, Pakistan, Swat, documentation of local knowledge and for the Sustainability, Conservation potential development of modern pharmaceuticals. This study aimed at the documentation of knowledge about medicinal plant diversity in northern Pakistan Correspondence and was conducted during summer 2018. During the 1* 1 1 survey, it was found that medicinal plants still are of Hazrat Sher , Inamuddin , Zishan Khan , Rainer 2 paramount importance for everyday life of the local W. Bussmann , Inayat Ur Rahman population and are extensively used for medicinal 1 purposes. Department of Botany Govt: Postgraduate Jahanzeb College, Saidu Sharif Swat, Pakistan. 2 Methods: By using semi-structured interviews, Department of Ethnobotany, institute of Botany, Ilia medicinal information was collected from 150 State University, Tbilisi, Georgia 3 respondents in the area. The respondents involved Department of Botany Govt: Degree College, in the interview were mostly older people, but young Madyan Swat, Pakistan. people and children were also included in the * interviews. During the interviews the information Corresponding Author: [email protected] about plants used by the local population for medicinal purposes was collected. Ethnobotany Research & Applications 20:09 (2020) Results: The current study found 53 medicinal plants of 38 genera, belonging to 25 families. The Background medicinally dominant family were Ranunculaceae The use of medicinal plants is as old as the history with 9 species, followed by Rosaceae 7 species, and of mankind (Meaza et al., 2015; Odhiambo et al., Primulaceae with 5 species. Hakims in the area had 2011). Communities inhabiting different areas of the higher knowledge about medicinal plants than other world have developed their own knowledge of plant members of the population. Similarly, elders had resources, uses, natural resource management and more knowledge than younger people, and children conservation (Cotton, 1996). Countries around the and women showed less knowledge than men in the world need access to biodiversity resources to community. ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits (Latif & Shinwari, 2005). Local inhabitants are facing many Conclusion: The present study revealed that challenges in integration of local (e.g. for medicine traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is still very and food) and market demands (generating income) common in the study area. The majority of the for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) (Sher et species used were still known to most people, but al., 2017). It has been shown that a large number of overexploitation and overgrazing are detrimental for important medicinal plants are highly affected by the maintenance of plant life biodiversity. The current climate change and human activities (Chi et al., study suggests that there is a need to create 2017). This greatly affects the conservation of Manuscript received: 08/05/2020 – Revised manuscript received: 19/06/2020 - Published: 21/06/2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.32859/era.20.09.1-13 2 species, as well as their distribution and their use in mostly for medicinal purposes. High altitude areas the traditional medicinal industry. Inhabitants of remain covered with snow in the months from distinct geographic localities in Pakistan still harbor November to May. The people from the nearby areas distinct knowledge and practices using local plants. rely on plants resources found in the Hindubaig This indigenous knowledge of plants has been Mountain. The soil is sandy clay at the base while transferred from generation to generation through somewhat stony towards the top. In the study area oral communication and personal experience there is no meteorological station. However, some (Shinwari, 2010). More than 70 % of the rural information exists for the main city Mingora. The population relies on local medical plants mainly due maximum rainfall occurs in the months from to easy access, low prices (Ekor, 2013) and no February-April, with the highest rainfall exceeding availability of modern health facilities (Omwenga et 200mm in March. Monsoon is active during the al., 2009; Tene et al., 2007). Plant resources are months of July and August, with rainfall of more than providing food, clothing, shelter, nutritional, and 150mm in July. The snowfall in the area occurs health requirements of the population (Hanchinal et generally in the months of December to March. The al., 2018). Traditional knowledge provides baseline weather is very pleasant in summer while very cold information for effective in-situ conservation, which in winter. There is no developed system of irrigation requires accurate and up to date data on medicinal in the area. Rainfall and snowfall are the main plant populations, the extent and nature of plants sources for water supply. Permanent springs are used by local communities and the capacity of the present in the area and are used for drinking and resources base to support different financial other domestic purposes and for irrigation, together activities. Traditional knowledge can be used for with some local streams. creating awareness about the importance of medicinal plants. Knowledge of influences of Most people of Hindubaig Mountain are poor. The anthropogenic activities is important for setting majority of the people are farmers and more than priorities and directing efforts towards conservation 90% community depends on traditional agriculture and sustainable use (Anas, 2016). Thus, continuous and farming practices. Most of them are dependent studies and surveys on medicinal plants of the local on cattle and goats for milk production and bullocks communities in different parts of the world are for ploughing. The people living in the area belong to needed for the documentation of local knowledge for the Gujjar, Mian, Moulas and Pukhtoon tribes and the development of modern pharmaceutical. The the majority is illiterate. Crops found in that area are present study was initiated with the aim to gather the mainly maize, wheat, pea and some vegetables. The available information concerning the uses of cultivation of these crops is for own consumption and medicinal plants and to document it for further use in are cultivated at the lower areas. Overgrazing and studies related conservation and sustainable uncontrolled collection of plants are the main utilization of medicinal plants. In our approach we destructive forces causing loss of medicinal diversity hypothesized that: 1. That plant use especially for (Fig. 1). medicinal purposes was still highly important in this remote area, 2. that local knowledge, although part Taxonomic and ethnomedicinal Diversity of a common cultural sphere, would differ from Our study was conducted on Hindubaig Mountain in neighboring areas, and 3. that pressure on the 2018. Based on altitudinal variation the study area resources was increasing. was divided into different sites. Field trips were arranged to these sites during the summer months Materials and Methods of June-September. Ethnomedicinal information was Study area obtained using semi structured interviews with a Hindobaig Mountain of Lalku valley is located standard questionnaire. Some 150 respondents towards the North West part of District Swat at about were interviewed after obtaining their prior informed 90 km from the Mingora city. The average altitude of consent. The participants mostly included older the area ranges from 1500 - 3100 m. It is bordered people (70%), some young people (20%) and by Shagho Sar, Daral mountains and Gabinjabba in children (10%). Details of the participants are given the North, in the South by Julbasar and Bakroosar, in Table 1. Plants were collected from different sites and in the West by Sulatanr. The study area is during the interviews and the fully dried specimens located in the Hindukush mountain region of Swat, were mounted on herbarium sheets. The plants were harboring moist temperate forests. These forests are identified with the help of available literature (Nasir composed by mixed conifer species i.e. Pinus and Ali, 1970-95, Stewart, 1967). The nomenclature wallichiana, Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana etc., was confirmed in the National Herbarium, NARC, and are contain a rich herbal flora and fauna, Islamabad, and a set of voucher specimens was including valuable medicinal plants. The herbaceous deposited at the Botany Department G.P. G. flora found at lower and middle altitudes is used Jahanzeb College, Saidu Sharif Swat. 3 Figure 1. Map of District Swat and study area. Table.1. Age and Gender wise detail of the respondents in the research area Age Male Female Total Percentage > 40 Years 60 45 105 70 21-40 Years 20 10 30 20 05-20Years 8 7 15 10 Total 88 62 150 100 Ethnomedicinal Indices Use value (UV) Data obtained from questionnaires was evaluated It measures the relative importance of a plant through different statistical indices commonly used in species among informants of an area. It is calculated ethnobotanical studies: following Savikin

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