Scholarlink

<p>Wild edible plants (WEPs) play an important role in enhancing food security and serving as traditional remedies for various ailments, particularly among rural communities in&#xa0;the developing world. This study aims to document the diversity, indigenous knowledge, and ethnomedicinal uses of WEPs among the local communities in District Poonch, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, through ethnobotanical surveys from 100 informants. Ethnobotanical data were analyzed using quantitative indices such as use reports (UR), relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance (RI), informant consensus factor (ICF), and Jaccard index (JI). The study identified 65 plant taxa representing 56 genera and 38 families. Among the plant parts used, leaves (27 species) and fruits (21 species) were the most frequently used, commonly consumed as cooked dishes (40%) and raw snacks (36.92%). <i>Amaranthus spinosus</i> (RFC = 0.50, IR = 0.65), <i>Berberis lycium</i> (RFC = 0.49, IR = 0.99), <i>Taraxacum officinale</i> (RFC = 0.41, IR = 0.56), and <i>Nasturtium officinale</i> (RFC = 0.36, IR = 0.62) appeared as culturally important species, revealing their distinction in local ethnomedicines. The highest ICF values were associated with respiratory conditions (0.75), anticancer properties (0.66), and general ailments (0.61). The JI ranged from 0.66 to 19.85, indicating varying levels of consensus among participants regarding plant use. Notably, species with novel uses included <i>Nasturtium officinale</i>, <i>Stellaria media</i>, <i>Polygonum arenastrum</i>, and <i>Trifolium repens</i>. This highlights the significance of WEPs not only in promoting food security and combating malnutrition but also in enriching future generations with knowledge about indigenous plants, thus&#xa0;recommending them for pharmacological evaluation, and conserving culturally important plants.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Exploring the diversity and ethnomedicinal uses of wild edible plants in District Poonch, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月11日

查看全文
  • Amna Mustafa,
  • Ansar Mehmood,
  • Khawaja Shafique Ahmad,
  • Sajjad Hussain,
  • Muhammad Faraz Khan,
  • Mushtaq Ahmad

摘要

Wild edible plants (WEPs) play an important role in enhancing food security and serving as traditional remedies for various ailments, particularly among rural communities in the developing world. This study aims to document the diversity, indigenous knowledge, and ethnomedicinal uses of WEPs among the local communities in District Poonch, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, through ethnobotanical surveys from 100 informants. Ethnobotanical data were analyzed using quantitative indices such as use reports (UR), relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance (RI), informant consensus factor (ICF), and Jaccard index (JI). The study identified 65 plant taxa representing 56 genera and 38 families. Among the plant parts used, leaves (27 species) and fruits (21 species) were the most frequently used, commonly consumed as cooked dishes (40%) and raw snacks (36.92%). Amaranthus spinosus (RFC = 0.50, IR = 0.65), Berberis lycium (RFC = 0.49, IR = 0.99), Taraxacum officinale (RFC = 0.41, IR = 0.56), and Nasturtium officinale (RFC = 0.36, IR = 0.62) appeared as culturally important species, revealing their distinction in local ethnomedicines. The highest ICF values were associated with respiratory conditions (0.75), anticancer properties (0.66), and general ailments (0.61). The JI ranged from 0.66 to 19.85, indicating varying levels of consensus among participants regarding plant use. Notably, species with novel uses included Nasturtium officinale, Stellaria media, Polygonum arenastrum, and Trifolium repens. This highlights the significance of WEPs not only in promoting food security and combating malnutrition but also in enriching future generations with knowledge about indigenous plants, thus recommending them for pharmacological evaluation, and conserving culturally important plants.