Department of Botany, Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Bagh, Pakistan.
Department of Environment Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, 22060, Pakistan.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2019 Aug 30;15(1):45. doi: 10.1186/s13002-019-0323-2.
Being an isolated locality and having a tough mountainous terrain, strong ethnomedicinal practices still prevail in Dhirkot and its allied areas, which have been rarely explored yet. The present study was intended with the aim to document and compare the traditional knowledge of local communities on botanical taxa of Dhirkot, Azad Jammu, and Kashmir.
Ethnomedicinal data were collected from 74 informants using a semi-structured questionnaire in addition to field observation and group discussion. Various indices were also used to evaluate the ethnomedicinal data. Furthermore, the present findings were compared with previous reports to assess data novelty.
A total of 140 medicinal plant species belonging to 55 families were recorded, which are used by local communities to treat 12 disease categories. Asteraceae was dominating with 20 species, followed by Poaceae, Lamiaceae, and Rosaceae (14, 11, and 10 species, respectively). Herbs were leading with 66% contribution, whereas leaves were the most utilized plant part with 29% utilization and decoction was the common mode of administration. Viola canescens depicted the highest use value and relative frequency of citation (1.7 and 0.92, respectively). Maximum informant consensus factor (0.88) was calculated for digestive and liver disorders. Five plant species including Berberis lycium Mentha arvensis Pyrus malus, Taraxacum officinale, and Viola canescens had 100% fidelity level.
Dhirkot and its allied areas harbor rich botanical and cultural diversity because of its unique geography and diverse climatic conditions. However, mostly, traditional ethnobotanical knowledge is restricted to healers, midwives, and older people, and could be extinct in the near future. Therefore, such documentation not only conserves traditional knowledge but may also contribute significantly to novel drug resources.
由于地处偏远地区，地形崎岖，因此在迪尔科特及其周边地区，强大的民族医学实践仍然盛行，这些地区尚未得到充分探索。本研究旨在记录和比较查谟和克什米尔自由地区迪尔科特当地社区对植物类群的传统知识。
使用半结构化问卷以及实地观察和小组讨论，从 74 名知情者那里收集民族医学数据。还使用了各种指数来评估民族医学数据。此外，还将目前的发现与以前的报告进行比较，以评估数据的新颖性。
共记录了 140 种药用植物，隶属于 55 科，当地社区用这些植物来治疗 12 种疾病类别。菊科以 20 种植物为主，其次是禾本科、唇形科和蔷薇科（分别为 14、11 和 10 种植物）。草本植物占 66%，而叶子是最常用的植物部分，使用率为 29%，汤剂是最常见的给药方式。堇菜的使用价值和相对引用频率最高（分别为 1.7 和 0.92）。消化和肝脏疾病的最大信息共识系数（0.88）。包括小檗属、野薄荷、苹果属、蒲公英属和堇菜属在内的 5 种植物具有 100%的保真度。
由于其独特的地理位置和多样的气候条件，迪尔科特及其周边地区拥有丰富的植物和文化多样性。然而，大多数传统民族植物学知识仅限于治疗师、助产士和老年人，并且可能在不久的将来消失。因此，这种记录不仅可以保存传统知识，而且可能对新的药物资源做出重大贡献。
