Keywords: Ethno-botanical usage, medicinal plants, Hakeems, Kashmir Himalayas
Abstract
Background: A fair amount of ethnobotanical knowledge of wild plant species is still held by the native people of the Himalayan mountainous region. The present study quantified the ethnobotanical usage of plants in a remote tehsil (Karnah) of district Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, evaluating the traditional medicinal plants use against various diseases.
Methods: This study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 to collect information regarding different ethnomedicinal uses of plant species growing in the region through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Multivariate ecological community analysis was used to find the relationship between ethnobotanical usage and plant species.
Results: Floristically, a total of 29 plant species belonging to 25 genera were used as medicine. Asteraceae was the largest family with 14% species. The results of preference analysis showed a significant difference in plant part usage (χ2=70.587, df=9, p<0.001). The highest priority of local people was for leaves (38%). The most frequently usage was against stomach problems (20%). The dendrogram generated five distinctly separate clusters based on the usage of wild plant as traditional medicines against various diseases. A majority of the local people (81.33%) used traditional medicines and 49.23% regarded traditional medicines as always effective.
Conclusions: This study provides a useful self-care tool for the native people of the Kashmir Himalayas and other similar Himalayan mountainous region. Further, this study will help in developing scientifically-informed strategies for conservation of medicinal resources and sustainable use of plant diversity in this part of Himalayan region.