The local medicinal plant knowledge in Kashmir Western Himalaya: a way to foster ecological transition via community-centred health seeking strategies

Background The mountainous region of Kashmir is a biodiversity hotspot, with diverse local communities and a rich cultural history linked to nature. Mountain ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change. This study emphasises the need to record the indigenous ethnoecological knowledge of wild...

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Published in:Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine Vol. 19; no. 1; p. 56
Main Authors: Manzoor, Muhammad, Ahmad, Mushtaq, Zafar, Muhammad, Gillani, Syed Waseem, Shaheen, Hamayun, Pieroni, Andrea, Al-Ghamdi, Abdullah Ahmed, Elshikh, Mohamed Soliman, Saqib, Saddam, Makhkamov, Trobjon, Khaydarov, Khislat
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London BioMed Central 30.11.2023
BioMed Central Ltd
Springer Nature B.V
BMC
Subjects:
Allium
Apiaceae
Asteraceae
Biodiversity
Biodiversity hot spots
Biodiversity hotspot
Biological diversity
Climate change
Community
Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Conservation
Cultural history
Culture
Documentation
Ecology
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
Endemic
Endemic species
Ethnobotany
Ethnoecological knowledge
Ethnomedicine
family
Flowers & plants
Fritillaria cirrhosa
Future conservation
Global temperature changes
Globalization
health services
Herbal medicine
Himalayan region
Humans
India
Indigenous communities
Indigenous knowledge
Indigenous peoples
Kashmir
Knowledge
Lamiaceae
Local communities
Local knowledge systems: how can they help to guide ecological transition and a freer world?
Local population
Medicinal plants
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Medicine, Botanic
Medicine, Herbal
Medicine, Traditional
Methods
Mountain ecology
Mountain ecosystems
Mountain regions
Mountains
Natural resources
Pakistan
Phytotherapy
Plants, Medicinal
Polygonaceae
Ranunculaceae
Regions
species
Summer
Surveys
tea
Topography
traditional medicine
Wild plants
Pakistan
Himalaya Mountains
Himalayan region
India
Future conservation
Biodiversity hotspot
Ethnoecological knowledge
Kashmir
Sustainable utilisation
Indigenous communities
Endemic
ISSN:1746-4269, 1746-4269
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Summary:Background The mountainous region of Kashmir is a biodiversity hotspot, with diverse local communities and a rich cultural history linked to nature. Mountain ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change. This study emphasises the need to record the indigenous ethnoecological knowledge of wild plants used for the treatment of various ailments at higher elevations in remote areas where globalisation poses a threat to this traditional knowledge. Methods The field survey was carried out in 2020–2022, to collect data on wild medicinal plants. Informants were selected randomly to collect indigenous medicinal knowledge using semi-structured interviews and group discussions. Various quantitative indices were employed to evaluate ethnomedicinal data. Results A total of 110 medicinal plants belonging to 49 families were recorded in the study area. These medicinal plants are extensively used by local communities for the treatment of 20 major disease categories. Asteraceae was the dominant family contributing (9.09%) to medicinal plants, followed by Polygonaceae (8.18%), Apiaceae (7.27%), Lamiaceae (5.45%), and Ranunculaceae (5.45%). We observed 166 remedies were used for the treatment of various diseases in humans, and 9 remedies were used for animals. The most frequently used medicinal remedy was tea or decoction (30.91%). Among the medicinal plants, herbs (85.5%) were most frequently used by the local populations of Kashmir, whereas leaves (10.26%) were used for the treatment of various ailments. Out of 110 species, 31 were endemic, 15 of which are endemic to the Kashmir region and 16 to the Western Himalaya. The highest RFC value was reported for Allium humile (0.77), the highest UV value for Fritillaria cirrhosa (1.33), and the highest ICF value for gastro-intestinal/digestive disorders (0.85). Conclusions Local communities still rely on wild medicinal plants for primary healthcare. These communities retained valuable indigenous knowledge, which needs to be preserved for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of natural resources. Further field exploration is required to fully explore indigenous knowledge in the mountainous regions of Kashmir, and this knowledge has the potential to support the ongoing ecological transition.
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ISSN:1746-4269
1746-4269
DOI:10.1186/s13002-023-00631-2