Available online 22 August 2015
Traditional Preference of Wild Edible Fruits (WEFs) for Digestive Disorders (DDs) among the Indigenous communities of Swat Valley-Pakistan
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological Relevance
Digestive
disorders (DDs) causes indisposition and lead to death, especially in
the underdeveloped world where hygienic conditions are scarce. A major
proportion of the human populace depends on the use of traditional
knowledge about the consumption of medicinal plants for many diseases,
including DDs. The contemporary study summarizes the indigenous uses of
Wild Edible Fruits (WEFs) of Swat Valley used for DDs and to evaluate
the bio-efficacy of these pharmacologically essential fruit species from
the available literature.
Material and Methods
An
ethnomedicinal study was conducted in Swat valley, Northern Pakistan.
Data was collected through field assessment as well as from traditional
healers and local people by means of personal interviews and
semi-structured questionnaires, giving value to both rural and urban
communities. The ethnomedicinal knowledge was quantitatively analyzed
using various indices like Familiarity Index (FI), Consensus index (CI),
Informant consensus factor (ICF) and the present data was compared with
previous studies in the neighbouring areas using Jaccard similarity
coefficient (JI).
Results
The
present study recorded use reports on 53 WEFs of ethnomedicinal
prominence in the treatment of DDs, belonging to 23 families. The
recurrent growth forms were trees (51%) shrubs (38%) and herbs (11%).
High consumption of fruits (50%), leaves (27%) and flowers (12%) was
recorded. The traditional preparations were mostly in the form of
unprocessed dried /fresh, powder, Juice and decoction and were usually
taken orally. Almost 20-30 % of the plants occurred in synanthropic
vegetation while more than 75 % were found in natural woodland and
grassland vegetation. Family Berberidaceae dominated with highest FIV
(41) followed by Punicaceae (38), Oxalidaceae (36) and Moraceae (35).
ICF values for carminative (0.6) showed high consensus factor followed
by anthelmintic, gastroenteritis and intestinal disorders (0.5). FI
value is high for Berberis lycium (0.5), Morus alba (0.5), Morus nigra (0.5) followed by Olea ferruginea (0.45). Berberis lycium
had the high consensus index, whereas, a study conducted on Lesser
Himalayas Pakistan showed high value of Jaccard similarity coefficient.
Conclusion
WEFs
are predominantly used in the treatment of various diseases in the
valley and traditional knowledge about the use of these species against
DDs is still prevailing. Multiple uses of these WEFs suggest further
investigation into its phytochemical, toxicological and pharmaceutical
potential. This study will serve as a baseline data for future
pharmacological studies.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Pharmacological;
- Swat Valley;
- Digestive Disorders;
- Ethnomedicine;
- Quantitative analysis;
- Carminative
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+923005599117.
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
