Utilizing traditional medicinal plants to address health issues and enhance sustainable community wellbeing

Abstract

The practice of using plants in traditional remedies, drawing from age-old knowledge to treat various illnesses, falls under the scope of ethnobotany. The current research aimed to report traditional medicinal herbs that locals used to treat various diseases in Ahmedpur East, Pakistan. GPS data was used to capture the whole survey area. All plant specimens were preserved in the herbarium. The collected data was in demographic form. The native names of the plants, their purposes, parts used and techniques for preparing medicines as well as other pertinent information were gathered. The current study involved interviewing 300 informants (25 females, 275 males). The study identified wild medicinal plants from 15 families with Amaranthaceae and Brassicaceae being the most prevalent. The study revealed that leaves were the primary plant part used medicinally, accounting for 65% of remedies. Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) scores ranged from 0.52 to 0.96, while Fidelity Level (FL) was observed between 66% to 96%, indicating the community's agreement on the plants' medicinal efficacy. Notably, species like Aerva javanica, Melilotus indicus, and Cannabis sativa achieved the highest Use Value (UV) of 0.93. Comparative analysis using the Jaccard Index showed varying plant use patterns across different regions, emphasizing the unique ethnobotanical landscape of each area. The findings highlight local populations' rich traditional plant knowledge, suggesting potential avenues for phytotherapeutic chemical discovery and new treatments.