Ethnobiological Uses of Plant Species among the three Ethnic Communities in the Administrative District (Kupwara) of Jammu and Kashmir-India: A cross-cultural Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: In the valley of Kashmir-India, use of flora is not only prioritized over fauna species to get against health disorders but plays a vital role in the cultural aspects. The uses of herbs, particularly those that have a scientific basis as remedy of minor illnesses are progressively appreciated across the modern world.Methods: The present study was conducted from March 2019 to August 2021 for the collection of medicinally important plants and related traditional knowledge in the frontier administrative district (Kupwara) of Kashmir-India. A simple stratified sampling using semi structured interviews followed by group discussions was employed to achieve the goal.Results: A total of 53 plant species belonging to 36 families, with Asteraceae as the dominant family (11%) were recorded. The most dominant life form used in the treatment of various ailments were herbs with 42 species (79%), followed by trees (6 species, 11%), shrubs (3, 6%), ferns and fungi (1 species each). Roots were most frequently used (39%), followed by leaves (21%), tuber, stem latex, whole plant (5% each), wood, fruits (3% each), fruit, bark, seed, fruiting body, twig and whole frond (2% each). The ICF (Informant Consensus Factor) values ranged from 0.95 to 0.98, and the highest ICF was recorded for gastrointestinal disorders, liver diseases, bone and joint disorders, dental diseases and kidney problems (0.98 each), while as the lowest values of ICF were recorded for ethnoveterinary diseases (0.95). Gastro-intestinal disorders were treated with most species (22%). Highest Use Value (UV) was recorded for Artemisia absinthium while lowest values of UV were recorded for Eryngium billardieri. A crosscultural comparison of plant resources shows that 41 plants were commonly used by all ethnic groups. Upon the similarity of usage, Gujjars and Bakarwals (26%) showed greater similarity, whereas the least overlap was observed between Kashmiri and Bakarwal (9%). Cluster analysis yielded two primary clusters, cluster first included the plant species with medicinal (Med) attributions and Cluster 2 comprised the species with a variety of attributions like food, fodder, spice, black magic (bla-mag); herbal tea (her-tea) and fuel wood (fue-wod). The highest FUV (Family Use Value) was reported for Pinaceae (0.49) followed by Asteraceae (0.47) and Polygonaceae (0.46). The results in this study have listed some of the medicinal plants like, Rhodiola fastigiata, Lilium polyphyllum, Betula utilis and Anagallis arvensis reported for the first time with traditional usage. Conclusion:The present study reveals the importance of the plants across the frontier administrative district (Kupwara) of Kashmir-India. The use of local plants for medicinal purposes and other traditional uses are being practiced from generations; in this regard species with high UV can be bio-profiled for the possible elucidation of some novel molecule with potent medicinal attribution.

Traditional plant-based medicines used to treat musculoskeletal disorders in district North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

“…Asteraceae were the most prominent family for treating MSDs among the North Waziristan community, which agrees with other ethnomedicinal research around the world [11,26,27]. The reason behind the dominance of the Asteraceae family is that the family members are familiar for aromatic quality and are easily accessible in wild nature, or might be due to its widespread distribution and richness in the study area [28,29].…”

“…The use of medicinal plants by indigenous communities to treat various disorders is a practice that has been passed down through many generations of human evolution [9]. Roughly 85% of the global population residing in developing countries relies solely on traditional medicinal plants for their healthcare needs [10,11]. Ethnic communities residing in proximity to forested regions depend on the collection of medicinal plants from the wild for their primary healthcare.…”

Plant cultural indicators of forest resources from the Himalayan high mountains: implications for improving agricultural resilience, subsistence, and forest restoration

“…Fodder is mostly collected in the summer to autumn in the study area and it's dried and stored for winter. Similar results were reported by [15,55,56]. Fuelwood plays an important role in the study area; some of the important fuelwood plants collected by the people of the study area were Ailanthus altissima, Abies pindrow, Berberis lycium, Cedrus deodara, Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana and Pinus wallichiana.…”

“…The plants with higher citations in the Pahari community included Plantago major, Viola odorata, Cannabis sativa, Oxalis acetosella, and Bistorta amplexicaulis. Khoja et al [55] also reported Aconitum heterophyllum, Malva neglecta, and Polygonatum bi orum are highly utilized plants for the Gujjar community in Kashmir Himalaya. Similarly, Ridwan et al [61] documented Podophyllum hexandrum and Diplazium maximum in Pahari community in Rajouri district.…”

Keeping Healthy in Your Skin—Plants and Fungi Used by Indigenous Himalayan Communities to Treat Dermatological Ailments

“…A detailed description of the therapeutic flora used to treat dermatological ailments is recorded in Table 2 . These plant species were known for phytochemicals like alkaloids, phenols, terpenes, flavonoids, lactins, and saponins which might explain their efficacy in treating dermatological disorders [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. In the study area, people mostly visit the high altitudes in the summers along with their cattle, where no medical facilities are available.…”