Ethnobotanical appraisal and medicinal use of plants of district Nushki Balochistan, Pakistan

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/10/2020
Views (1247)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Ethnobotanical appraisal and medicinal use of plants of district Nushki Balochistan, Pakistan

Muhammad Zahid Khan, Shazia Saeed, Alia Ahmed, Saeed-Ur-Reman Kakar, Saadullah Khan Leghari, Janat Gul
Int. J. Biosci. 17(4), 60-72, October 2020.
Copyright Statement: Copyright 2020; The Author(s).
License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

Traditional herbal medicine is a valuable resource for the treatment of many ailments by utilizing the indigenous knowledge for modern drug development. The present investigation aimed to document the ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinally important wild plants in Desert of Nushki, Balochistan, Pakistan. The ethnobotanical appraisal was based on quantitative information on medicinal plant diversity. The information was collected through semi-structured interviews and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools. Data were analyzed using quantitative indices for Information Consent Factor (ICF), Fidelity level (FL), Use Value (UV), Frequency Citation (FC) and Relative Frequency Citation (RFC). Sixty (60) plant species belonging to 29 families were reported for medicinal purposes. Asteraceae was found to be a dominant family in terms of species in the area. The whole plant and leaves were noted as the most frequently used parts (31%). The highest ICF (1.00) value was obtained for diseases related to Skeleto-muscular ailments SMA and the least one (0.5) was associated with Dermatological ailments. Respiratory ailments ICF value were (0.84) the second highest. The area is rich in medicinal plants and these plants are still commonly used for medicinal purposes among the people in their daily lives. The plants used as antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory are highly important and need to be investigated further for their phytochemical constituents. Furthermore, few studied plants are also valuable resource for the livestock of the region.

Adnan M, Ullah I, Tariq A, Murad W, Azizullah A, Khan AL, Ali N. 2014. Ethnomedicine use in the war affected region of northwest Pakistan. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 10, 16.

Ahmed A, Hameed A, Saeed S. 2020. Ecological distribution, morphological and molecular characterization of Zygophyllaceae from diverse ecological zones of balochistan, pakistan. applied ecology and environmental research 18, 2445-2462.

Aziz MA, Khan AH, Adnan M, Izatullah I. 2017. Traditional uses of medicinal plants reported by the indigenous communities and local herbal practitioners of Bajaur Agency, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas, Pakistan. Journal of ethnopharmacology 198, 268-281.

Aziz MA, Adnan M, Khan AH, Rehman AU, Jan R, Khan J. 2016. Ethno-medicinal survey of important plants practiced by indigenous community at Ladha subdivision, South Waziristan agency, Pakistan. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine 12,  53.

Aziz MA, Adnan M, Khan AH, Shahat AA, Al-Said MS, Ullah R. 2018. Traditional uses of medicinal plants practiced by the indigenous communities at Mohmand Agency, FATA, Pakistan. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine 14, 2.

Badshah L, Hussain F. 2011. People preferences and use of local medicinal flora in District Tank, Pakistan. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 5, 22-29.

Benarba B. 2016. Medicinal plants used by traditional healers from South-West Algeria: An ethnobotanical study. Journal of Intercultural ethnopharmacology 5, 320.

Bodeker G, Burford G. 2007. Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine: policy and public health perspectives: World Scientific.

Gazaliev A, Zhurinov MZ, Fazylov S, Balitskii S. 1989. Isolation, analysis, and synthesis of ephedrine and its derivatives. Chemistry of Natural Compounds 25, 261-271.

Hamayun M, Khan MA, Begum S. 2003. Marketing of medicinal plants of Utror-Gabral valleys, Swat, Pakistan. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 2005, 44.

Hamed AI, Oleszek W, Stochmal A, Pizza C, Piacente S. 2004. Steroidal saponins from the aerial parts of Tribulus pentandrus Forssk. Phytochemistry 65, 2935-2945.

Hashim S, Bakht T, Marwat KB, Jan A. 2014. Medicinal properties, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Tribulus terrestris L.(Zygophyllaceae). Pakistan Journal of Botany 46,  399-404.

Hazrat A, Shah J, Nisar M. 2011. Medicinal plants of Sheringal Valley, Dir Upper, KPK, Pakistan. FUUAST Journal of Biology 1, 131-133.

Idm’hand E, Msanda F, Cherifi K. 2020. Ethnobotanical study and biodiversity of medicinal plants used in the Tarfaya Province, Morocco. Acta Ecologica Sinica.

Khan N, Ahmed M, Ahmed A, Shaukat S, Wahab M, Ajaib M, Siddiqui MF, Nasir M. 2011. Important medicinal plants of chitral gol National park (cgnp) Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Botany 43, 797-809.

Khan SW, Khatoon S. 2007. Ethnobotanical studies on useful trees and shrubs of Haramosh and Bugrote valleys in Gilgit northern areas of Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Botany 39, 699-710.

Mahwasane S, Middleton L, Boaduo N. 2013. An ethnobotanical survey of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants used by the traditional healers of the Lwamondo area, Limpopo province, South Africa. South African Journal of Botany 88, 69-75.

Murad W, Azizullah A, Adnan M, Tariq A, Khan KU, Waheed S, Ahmad A. 2013. Ethnobotanical assessment of plant resources of Banda Daud Shah, District Karak, Pakistan. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine 9, 77.

Patil B, Patel B, Harisha C, Parmar N, Save A. 2014. Variants of Tribulus species-a scientific study through DNA RAPD-molecular characterization. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biological Research 2, 15.

Pervez S, Saeed M, Khan H, Shahid M, Ullah I. 2018. Nephroprotective effect of Berberis baluchistanica against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rabbit. Bangladesh Journal of Pharmacology 13, 222-230.

Prasad S, Kashyap RS, Deopujari JY, Purohit HJ, Taori GM, Daginawala HF. 2007. Effect of Fagonia arabica (Dhamasa) on in vitro thrombolysis. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7, 36.

Qasim M, Gulzar S, Shinwari ZK, Aziz I, Khan MA. 2010. Traditional ethnobotanical uses of halophytes from Hub, Balochistan. Pakistan Jornal of Botany 42, 1543-1551.

Qureshi R, Waheed A, Arshad M, Umbreen T. 2009. Medico-ethnobotanical inventory of tehsil Chakwal, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Botany 41, 529-538.

Rahman A. 2013. An Ethno-botanical investigation on Asteraceae family at Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Academia Journal of Medicinal Plants 1, 92-100.

Rates SMK. 2001. Plants as source of drugs. Toxicon 39, 603-613.

Rawal A, Nath D, Yadav N, Pande S, Meshram S, Biswas S. 2009. Rubia cordifolia, Fagonia cretica linn and Tinospora cordifolia exert anti-inflammatory properties by modulating platelet aggregation and VEGF, COX-2 and VCAM gene expressions in rat hippocampal slices subjected to ischemic reperfusion injury. Int J Appl Res Nat Prod 2, 19-26.

Rokaya MB, Münzbergová Z, Timsina B. 2010. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants from the Humla district of western Nepal. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 130, 485-504.

Sarangzai AM, Ahmed A, Laghari SK. 2013. Traditional uses of some useful medicinal plants of Ziarat District Balochistan, Pakistan. FUUAST Journal of Biology 3, 101-107.

Saxena N, Yadav V, Verma R. 2014. Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used to cure gastro intestinal problems in Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies 2, 24-28.

Semerdjieva I. 2011. Studies on leaf anatomy of Tribulus terrestris L.(Zygophyllaceae) in populations from the Thracian floristic region. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment 25, 2373-2378.

Semerdjieva IB, Zheljazkov VD. 2019. Chemical Constituents, Biological Properties, and Uses of Tribulus terrestris: A Review. Natural Product Communications 14, 1934578X19868394.

Shah A, Marwat SK, Gohar F, Khan A, Bhatti KH, Amin M, Din NU, Ahmad M, Zafar M. 2013. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants of semi-tribal area of Makerwal & Gulla Khel (lying between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab Provinces), Pakistan.

Sher H, Ahmad M, Iqbal C. 2000. Market survey of medicinal plants in major cities of Pakistan, their use and future prospects: Swiss Purled. Development Cooperation. Berne. Switzerland.

Shinwari MI, Khan MA. 2000. Folk use of medicinal herbs of Margalla hills national park, Islamabad. Journal of ethnopharmacology 69, 45-56.

Siddiqui FA, Ahmad M, Jahan N, Sajid MI. 2017. Phytochemical screening and assessment of analgesic, Anti-inflammatory and hematological properties of the fruit of Berberis baluchistanica. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences 30.

Yaseen G, Ahmad M, Zafar M, Sultana S, Kayani S, Cetto AA, Shaheen S. 2015. Traditional management of diabetes in Pakistan: ethnobotanical investigation from traditional health practitioners. Journal of ethnopharmacology 174, 91-117.

Zabihullah Q, Rashid A, Akhtar N. 2006. Ethnobotanical survey in kot Manzaray Baba valley Malakand agency, Pakistan. Pakistan journal of plant sciences 12, 115-121.

Zarga MA, Miana G, Shamma M. 1982. Gandharamine-A New Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid from Berberis baluchistanica. Heterocycles 18, 63-65.

Related Articles

Sensory acceptability of gnocchi pasta added with different levels of malunggay (Moringa oleifera) leaves and blue ternate (Clitoria ternatea) flowers

Ralph Justyne B. Bague, James Troyo, Proceso C. Valleser Jr.*, Int. J. Biosci. 28(1), 103-114, January 2026.

Spatio-temporal analysis of vegetation cover and socio-environmental implications in Korhogo (Northern Côte d’Ivoire) from 1990-2020

Adechina Olayossimi*, Konan Kouassi Urbain, Ouattara Amidou, Yao-Kouamé Albert, Int. J. Biosci. 28(1), 94-102, January 2026.

Predicting the habitat suitability of Vitellaria paradoxa under climate change scenarios

Franck Placide Junior Pagny*, Anthelme Gnagbo, Dofoungo Kone, Blaise Kabré, Marie-Solange Tiébré6,, Int. J. Biosci. 28(1), 73-83, January 2026.

Performance response dynamics of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) to locally sourced, on-farm feed ingredients during the growing phase: Implications for the institutional rabbit multiplier project

Roel T. Calagui*, Janelle G. Cadiguin, Maricel F. Campańano, Jhaysel G. Rumbaoa, Louis Voltaire A. Pagalilauan, Mary Ann M. Santos, Int. J. Biosci. 28(1), 65-72, January 2026.

Chronopharmacology: Integration of circadian biology in modern pharmacotherapy

Sangram D. Chikane*, Vishal S. Adak, Shrikant R. Borate, Rajkumar V. Shete, Deepak V. Fajage, Int. J. Biosci. 28(1), 56-64, January 2026.

Evaluation of the impact of floristic diversity on the productivity of cocoa-based agroforestry systems in the new cocoa production area: The case of the Biankouma department (Western Côte d’Ivoire)

N'gouran Kobenan Pierre, Zanh Golou Gizele*, Kouadio Kayeli Anaïs Laurence, Kouakou Akoua Tamia Madeleine, N'gou Kessi Abel, Barima Yao Sadaiou Sabas, Int. J. Biosci. 28(1), 44-55, January 2026.

Utilization of locally sourced feed ingredients and their influence on the growth performance of broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus): A study in support of the school’s chicken multiplier project

Roel T. Calagui*, Maricel F. Campańano, Joe Hmer Kyle T. Acorda, Louis Voltaire A. Pagalilauan, Mary Ann M. Santos, Jojo D. Cauilan, John Michael U. Tabil, Int. J. Biosci. 28(1), 35-43, January 2026.