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'Background The tribal inhabitants of the Skardu valley (Pakistan) live in an area of great endemic botanic diversity. This paper presents the first quantitative ethnomedicinal spectrum of the valley and information on the uses of medicinal plant. This paper aims to analyze and catalogue such knowledge based on Relative Frequency Citation (RFC) and Use Value (UV) of medicinal plants in addition to the configuration of the Pearson correlation coefficient. Methods The field study was carried out over a period of approximately 2 years (2011-2013) using semi-structured interviews with 71 informants (most of the informants belonged to an age between 50 and 70 years) in six remote locations in the valley. Ethnomedicinal data was analyzed using frequency citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC) and use value (UV) along with a Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). Demographic characteristics of participants, ethnobotanical inventory of plants and data on medicinal application and administration were recorded. Results A total of 50 medicinal plants belonging to 25 families were reported to be used against 33 different ailments in the valley. The maximum reported medicinal plant families were Asteraceae (7 report species), Lamiaceae (6) , Polygonaceae (4) and Rosaceae (4), the most dominant life form of the species includes herbs (38) followed by shrubs and subshrubs (12), the most frequent used part was leaves (41%) followed by root (26%), flower (14%), fruit (9%), seeds (8%), bulb (1%) and bark (1%), the most common preparation and administration methods were infusion (32%), decoction (26%), paste (18%), herbal juice (17%) and powder drug (7%). The Pearson correlation coefficient between RFC and UV was 0.732 showing highly positive significant association. Conclusions In this study, we have documented considerable indigenous knowledge about the native medicinal plants in Skardu valley for treating common ailments which are ready to be further investigated phytochemically and pharmacologically which leads to natural drug discovery development. The study has various socioeconomic dimensions which are associated with the local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This paper represents the first ethnobotanical study in Chail valley of district Swat-Pakistan and provides significant information on medicinal plants use among the tribal people of the area. The aim of this study was to document the medicinal uses of local plants and to develop an ethnobotanical inventory of the species diversity. Methods In present study, semi-structured interviews with 142 inhabitants (age range between 31-75 years) were conducted. Ethnobotanical data was analyzed using relative frequency of citation (RFC) to determine the well-known and most useful species in the area. Results Current research work reports total of 50 plant species belonging to 48 genera of 35 families from Chail valley. Origanum vulgare, Geranium wallichianum and Skimmia laureola have the highest values of relative frequency of citation (RFC) and are widely known by the inhabitants of the valley. The majority of the documented plants were herbs (58%) followed by shrubs (28%), trees (12%) and then climbers (2%). The part of the plant most frequently used was the leaves (33%) followed by roots (17%), fruits (14%), whole plant (12%), rhizomes (9%), stems (6%), barks (5%) and seeds (4%). Decoction was the most common preparation method use in herbal recipes. The most frequently treated diseases in the valley were urinary disorders, skin infections, digestive disorders, asthma, jaundice, angina, chronic dysentery and diarrhea. Conclusion This study contributes an ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants with their frequency of citations together with the part used, disease treated and methods of application among the tribal communities of Chail valley. The present survey has documented from this valley considerable indigenous knowledge about the local medicinal plants for treating number of common diseases that is ready to be further investigated for biological, pharmacological and toxicological screening. This study also provides some socio-economic aspects which are associated to the local tribal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study objective Ethnobotanical knowledge is proving to be invaluable for drug discovery in the wake of effective prospecting from biodiversity. On the other hand, the escalating human pressure is threatening the endogenous flora. Situated at the foothill of the Himalayas, Pakistan boasts of rich floristic distribution. However, many lush yet imperiled regions of this country has never been explored. It inspired us to evaluate and document the taxonomic composition, significance of medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge in the District of Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Materials and methods Vegetation growing in Malakand pass hills, Pakistan was studied and data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire, in addition to interviewing the local elderly, knowledgeable persons, and herbal practitioners. Relative Frequency Citation (RFC) and Use Value (UV) of the medicinal plants were calculated and their correlation was determined by Pearson correlation coefficient. Results This study encompasses 92 plant species belonging to 56 families thriving in the study area. The information gathered includes ethnobotanical inventory and their pharmacological uses. Quantitative analysis throws light on the consistence of RFC and UV. Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were the most abundant families represented by 6 species each. Shoots were the most used parts (23.6%) and wound healing (7.91%) was the most common therapeutic use. Conclusion The result obtained from the study implies that local inhabitants rely on these plants for their medicinal requirements. Also, the statistics reveal that, the vegetation can be assessed for potential drug leads. However, urban expansion is threatening the existence of indigenous flora and old generation with ancient herbal wisdom is perishing. So, it appears imperative to preserve the traditional knowledge. This survey is expected to contribute to the discovery of novel bioactive constituents, stimulate conservation efforts of the perturbed flora and promote sustainable exploitation of the medicinal bounty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]