Center for Plant Sciences and Biodiversity, University of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Department of Geography, College of Arts, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 May 26;166:157-67. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.03.022. Epub 2015 Mar 16.
Mapping ethnomedicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge of folk medicines can provide a comprehensive overview of individual herbs employed in health care. Reliance on medicinal plants in remote parts of northern Pakistan is high, especially among women, but no research has investigated specifically which plants are used. This study investigated indigenous knowledge of folk medicines among tribal minorities in selected sites in upper Swat, Buner and Chitral Districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Interviews were conducted with gender-specific focus groups using questionnaires and standardized data sheets, followed by forest walks in each of the visited areas. General medicinal herb use, preparations, storage, marketing and collection habits for each gender group were ascertained from the questionnaires.
In total 168 women and 390 men were interviewed and provided information on 127 different shared medicinal species. Species use consensus among the informants ranged from 2.3% to 83.3%, with Cynodon dactylon, Avena sativa, Celtis australis, Datura stramonium, Solanum nigrum, Skimmia laureola, Spiraea nervosa, Ziziphus jujuba, Rumex hastatus, Plantago lanceolata, Lathyrus aphaca and Ficus palmata having the highest reported consensus. The survey also revealed that a number of medicinal species were exploited by the community for both marketing and personal use, and many of these species were reported as being rare, vulnerable or even endangered.
The results revealed that women in all the three districts were important custodians of medicinal plant knowledge, but elder women in general and the women from Buner district in particular had a superior understanding of folk medicine. The forest walks revealed that women׳s traditional medicinal knowledge was based on a more limited diversity of plant species. People in tribal communities have an expressed interest in learning efficient techniques for medicinal plant collection, preparation, storage and cultivation advice, and to learn more about the potential of marketing medicinal herbs and ways to reach local market centers. Education and awareness were considered to be essential for improved health care and successful marketing.
绘制民族药用植物图谱并关联民间药物相关的本土知识，可以全面了解用于医疗保健的各种草药。在巴基斯坦北部偏远地区，人们高度依赖药用植物，尤其是妇女，但目前尚无专门针对具体使用哪些植物的研究。本研究调查了开伯尔-普赫图赫瓦省上斯瓦特、布纳和奇特拉尔地区选定地点部落少数民族的民间药物知识。
采用问卷调查和标准化数据表，对不同性别群体进行了针对性访谈，并在每个访问地区进行了森林徒步。从问卷中确定了每个性别群体的一般药用草药使用、制剂、储存、营销和采集习惯。
共访谈了 168 名妇女和 390 名男子，他们提供了 127 种不同的共享药用物种信息。受访者之间的物种使用共识度从 2.3%到 83.3%不等，其中狗尾草、燕麦、白榆、曼陀罗、龙葵、石斑木、绣线菊、枣、酸模叶蓼、车前草、野豌豆和掌叶榕的共识度最高。调查还显示，一些药用物种被社区用于营销和个人使用，其中许多物种被报告为稀有、脆弱甚至濒危物种。
结果表明，三个地区的妇女都是药用植物知识的重要守护者，但总体而言，老年妇女，特别是布纳地区的妇女，对民间医学有更深入的了解。森林徒步揭示了妇女传统药用知识所基于的植物物种多样性有限。部落社区的人们对学习药用植物采集、制备、储存和栽培建议的有效技术，以及学习更多关于草药营销潜力和到达当地市场中心的方式表现出浓厚的兴趣。教育和提高认识被认为是改善医疗保健和成功营销的关键。
