Available online 19 May 2015
Ethnoveterinary medicinal plant knowledge and practice among the tribal communities of Thakht-e-Sulaiman Hills, Pakistan
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Pastoralist
tribal communities inhabit Thakht-e-Sulaiman hills since centuries. In
this remote and geographically isolated area, local people mainly rely
on their natural environment for ethnoveterinary care. The area is
therefore of special interest for the documentation and analysis of
ethnoveterinary plant use and efficacy.
Materials and methods
Field
work was conducted from 2010–2012 and 86 informants were interviewed.
First, detailed unstructured interviews and group discussions were done
with key informants, and second, successive oral freelisting and
semi-structured interviews were performed. The veterinary diseases as
described by the informants were categorized according to the symptoms
they cause and the organs they affect. Information on the cited plants,
informant consensus factor (ICF) and fidelity level (FL) were calculated
based on use reports.
Results
A
total of 22 ethnoveterinary medicinal plant species, belonging to 21
genera and 20 families with 559 use reports were recorded from two
different ecological zones. More species were documented from the
foothills but total use reports were higher for mountain species. Mainly
leaves are used to prepare decoctions which are administered orally.
Most use reports concerned skeleto-muscular problems followed by
gastrointestinal ailments, but ritual uses and dermatological illnesses
got highest ICF. Most often cited species were Pinusgerardina, P. wallichiana and Daphne papyracea while highest FL was obtained for Salix tetrasperma, Berberis calliobotrys and Litsea monopetala. Interestingly, 50% of the species have the same or similar use for humans.
Conclusion
According
to the local people, the most often mentioned species have high
medicinal potential. They show a wide acceptance, broad application,
multiple ways of preparation and administration. There is a need to
conserve the knowledge of medicinal plant use in the Thakht-e-Sulaiman
hills for future generations and to incorporate it into existing
livestock health care services.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Ethnoveterinary practices;
- Medicinal plants;
- Thakht-e-Sulaiman;
- Pakistan
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
