Department of Botany, Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Bagh, 12500, Pakistan.
Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2020 Oct 27;16(1):65. doi: 10.1186/s13002-020-00417-w.
The present study is the first quantitative ethnobotanical evaluation of Harighal, an inaccessible and unexplored area of District Bagh Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). The exploration, quantification, and comparison of ethnobotanical knowledge among different rural communities of the study area were mainly focused during field survey.
In total, 79 informants (49 men and 34 women) were selected randomly to collect data using a semi-structured questionnaire. Various quantitative indices, including use value, relative frequency of citation, relative importance, fidelity level, and informant consent factor, were employed to evaluate the gathered information. Furthermore, primary data were also compared with twenty-two papers published from adjoining areas.
A total of 150 medicinal plants belonging to 98 genera and 60 families were documented. Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Rosaceae were the dominant families having 15 species each. Of these, 76 species were indigenous, 74 exotic, 136 were collected in the wild, 10 cultivated, and 4 both wild-collected and cultivated. Herbaceous taxa were the most used life form, and leaves were the most exploited plant part. Decoctions were the most preferred method used in preparation of herbal recipes. Three species viz. Mentha longifolia, Berberis lycium, and Galium aparine had the highest use value (1.05), relative frequency of citation (0.81), and relative importance value (96), respectively. The highest informant consensus factor (ICF) was reported for digestive disorders. Mentha longifolia, Punica granatum, Zanthoxylum alatum, and Olea ferruginea had 100% fidelity values. The Jaccard index revealed that uses of plants were more similar in two neighboring areas, i.e., Pearl Valley and Toli Peer.
Local inhabitants still prioritize herbal medicines as an effective way to treat a wide variety of ailments. Elders and health practitioners of the study area are well aware of indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants, but young people are not much interested in herbal practices. Thus, valuable knowledge about the use of plants is on the verge of decline.
本研究是对巴格阿扎德克什米尔（AJK）地区哈里加尔进行的首次定量民族植物学评估，该地区难以进入且尚未开发。在实地调查期间，主要侧重于探索、量化和比较研究区域不同农村社区的民族植物学知识。
总共随机选择了 79 名受访者（49 名男性和 34 名女性），使用半结构化问卷收集数据。使用使用值、引用相对频率、相对重要性、保真度水平和信息提供者同意因子等各种定量指标来评估收集到的信息。此外，还将原始数据与从毗邻地区发表的 22 篇论文进行了比较。
共记录了 150 种药用植物，隶属于 98 属和 60 科。菊科、豆科和蔷薇科是最主要的科，每个科都有 15 种植物。其中，76 种为土生土长，74 种为外来种，136 种为野生采集，10 种为栽培种，4 种为野生采集和栽培种。草本类群是最常用的生活型，叶片是最常被利用的植物部位。汤剂是制备草药配方最常用的方法。三种植物，即长叶薄荷、黑果枸杞和筋骨草，具有最高的使用价值（1.05）、引用相对频率（0.81）和相对重要值（96）。报告的最高信息提供者一致性因子（ICF）是针对消化系统疾病。长叶薄荷、石榴、刺花椒和油橄榄的保真度值均为 100%。Jaccard 指数表明，两个相邻地区，即珍珠谷和托利皮尔，植物的用途更为相似。
当地居民仍然将草药作为治疗各种疾病的有效方法。研究区域的老年人和医疗从业者非常了解药用植物的本土知识，但年轻人对草药实践的兴趣不大。因此，有关植物使用的宝贵知识正在逐渐消失。
