Page 5 - Medicinal Plant Research

Medicinal Plant Research 2014, Vol.4, No.5, 35- 45
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Results and Discussion
The following ethnobotanical information was
collected on 92 plant species belonging to 78 genera
and 38 families in the investigated area (Table 1). The
reported vegetation comprised 70 species of herbs, 11
trees, 10 shrubs and one parasite species. The people
of the area depend on agriculture, fuel & timber wood
selling, livestock and other natural resources of the
area for earning their daily commodities.
Plants used as medicine
There were 73 (79.3%) plant species that are being
used as medicine. Some of the plants are used
individually, while others in mixture. Many plant
species have single or multiple medicinal uses.
Among such plants Allium sativum, Avena sativa,
Cassia fistula, Chenopodium album, Citrus
aurantifolia, Coriandrum sativum, Cuscuta reflexa,
Daucus carota, Eruca sativa, Fagonia cretica, Ficus
carica, Fumaria indica, Luffa cylindrical, Malva
neglecta, Mentha arvensis, Papaver somniferum,
Prunus persica, Punica granatum, Rosa indica,
Withania somnifera and Ziziphus jujuba are
commonly used against the various ailments (Table 1).
Seventy one percent of the local plants are used as
medicine. Present findings agree with those of
Hussain et al. (1995), Siwakoti & Siwakoti (1998),
Hussain et al. (2004; 2005), and Ibrar et al. (2007)
Khan et al. (2011) with respect to medicinal uses.
Plants used as fodder and forage
Livestock is a very important component of the
village life. Some 51 (55.4%) plant species are used as
fodder. The most commonly used plants are
Boerhaavia procumbens, Chenopodium album,
Chenopodium murale, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita
pepo, Daucus carota, Eruca sativa, Eucalyptus
camaldulensis, Hordeum vulgare, Luffa cylindrical,
Saccharum spontaneum, Sonchus asper, Spinacea
oleracea, Tribulus terrestris, Zea mays, Ziziphus jujube,
Cenchrus ciliaris, Cynodon dactylon, Cyperus
rotundus, Cyperus scarlosus, Oxalis corniculata and
Sorghum halepense. Free grazing is the common
practice in the area (Figure 2). Before the
commencement of winter, the grasses are harvested,
dried and put into a stake. The harvesting is done
collectively and then during the bare and cold months
of winter, these are fed to the domestic animals.
Durrani et al. (2003); Gilani et al. (2003), Hussain et
al. (2005), and Ibrar et al. (2007) also reported the
same from other parts of Pakistan.
Fuel wood species
30 (32.6%) of the total recorded plant species were
used as fuel wood. Fuel consumption per home in the
studied area is often considered more than the
consumption on feeding and other requirements
because of severe winters. Khan (2000) and Awan
(2000) observed that the fuel wood is collected before
the commencement of winter. The most common plant
species used as fuel are Abelmoschus esculentus,
Eruca sativa, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Hordeum
vulgare, Melia azedarach, Prunus persica, Punica
granatum, Saccharum spontaneum, Zea mays, Ziziphus
jujube, Sorghum halepense, Citrus aurantifolia, Rosa
indica, Alhagi maurorum, Calotropis procera,
Cannabis sativa, Chrozophora oblique, Datura metel,
Datura stramonium, Dodonaea viscose, Heliotropium
europaeum, Ricinus communis and Xanthium
strumarium. Most of the economically important
plants are decreasing due to cutting. All these species,
which have high fuel value, are severely damaged.
These include Tamarix, Cassia, Morus, Melia and
Ficus which are decreasing in the area.
Vegetable, potherb and spices
20 species are being used as vegetables and potherbs
comprising about 21.7% of the total reported plants.
The cultivated and wild species are Abelmoschus
esculentus, Allium sativum, Avena sativa,
Chenopodium album, Chenopodium murale,
Coriandrum sativum, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita
pepo, Daucus carota, Eruca sativa, Luffa cylindrical,
Mentha arvensis and Momordica charantia. Women
and young girls collect the wild vegetables from their
nearby area and generally used for their own need
only. Hussain et al. (1995), Hussain and Sher (1998),
Sher et al. (2004), Hussain et al. (2005), and Ibrar et al.
(2007). Durrani et al. (2003); Gilani et al. (2003) also
reported many wild vegetable plants which are in use
of local people.
Plants yielding edible fruits
There are 16 plant species (16.3%), yielding edible