In:
Planta Medica, Georg Thieme Verlag KG, Vol. 89, No. 12 ( 2023-10), p. 1147-1164
Abstract:
The ethnic communities living near protected areas are critically dependent on medicinal plants for their healthcare. Although several ethnomedicinal studies are available from the
Himalaya, quantitative studies focusing on protected areas in this region are largely overlooked. In this study, we aimed to document the ethnomedicinal plants of the Overa-Aru wildlife sanctuary in Kashmir Himalaya. We conducted a systematic field survey in the study area during 2020 – 2021 to collect primary data from 110 participants through semi-structured interviews
and questionnaires. The data was analyzed using quantitative indices and Pearsonʼs correlation. We recorded 64 plant species used against 8 human disease categories, including some first-time reports from the region. Asteraceae and Lamiaceae were the most dominant families and herbs were the dominant growth form. The most common plant part used were leaves, and the
main method of preparation was decoction. Plant species with the highest relative frequency of citation was Achillea millifolium (0.83). Informant consensus factor for each disease category ranged from 0.94 to 0.97. We found a strong positive correlation between participantsʼ age and citations (r = 0.85), but a negative correlation between the participantsʼ
education status and citations (r = − 0.11). Our results revealed that the younger generation possesses the least ethnomedicinal information. We recommend that the species with high
use values and fidelity level merit priority in phytochemical and pharmaceutical studies. Our findings highlight that protected areas, besides their prime importance in biodiversity conservation, play a pivotal role in providing the healthcare provisioning ecosystem services to the ethnic communities.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0032-0943
,
1439-0221
Language:
English
Publisher:
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2037089-1
SSG:
15,3
Permalink
