QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS CONSUMPTION AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF SHANGLA-KOHISTAN AREAS IN NORTHERN-PAKISTAN

The main purpose of present study is to provide important information on the use of traditional herbal medicines for the therapy of various human aliments in selected areas of northern Pakistan. The survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire for 157 informants. In addition, the recorded data was analyzed by various quantitative indices like relative frequency citation (RFC), frequency of citation (FC), Fidelity level (FL), Used value (UV) and Used reports (UR). Local residents of the study area provided data on 61 medicinal plants belonging to the 34 families and 49 genera. Lamiaceae was the predominant used family consisting of 6 genera (7 species). The highest FL was reported for Coriandrum sativum for the treatment of Respiratory disorders (100%) and the lowest for Cedrus deodara (78.57%). The Relative frequency of Berberis lyceum (0.39) comes the highest and the lowest for the species of Oxalis acetosella (0.15). Leaves were recorded as most used plant part. For the treatment of various diseases, herbs in the area were highly utilized. For the healing of minor and major illness in northern Pakistan, indigenous medicinal plants are more intended as a form of primary health care. Plants that are used for the first time in the treatment of various diseases in the study area can be considered to be pharmacologically effective. Recognizing their frequent use, there is drive need to promote the use of these plants in phytochemical and pharmacological studies to prove their traditional medicinal knowledge