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<p>Traditional medicinal knowledge is an important component of biocultural heritage in mountain ecosystems, where human communities have long relied on local plant resources for primary healthcare. Understanding how ecological conditions and cultural identity influence the distribution of this knowledge is essential for its conservation and sustainable use. Despite extensive ethnobotanical research in the Western Himalayas, previous studies from Kashmir and adjacent regions have mainly focused on floristic inventories and quantitative documentation, with limited attention to how ethnic identity and ecological gradients shape medicinal plant knowledge. This study applied an integrative biocultural framework to examine the spatial and cultural distribution of ethnomedicinal knowledge across an altitudinal gradient (1000–4500&#xa0;m a.s.l.) in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Between March 2023 and November 2024, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 105 informants representing the Gujjar, Pahari, and Kashmiri ethnic groups. Data were analysed using Frequency of Citation (FC), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), and Jaccard Index (JI). Differences in medicinal plant use across altitudinal zones were evaluated using the Kruskal–Wallis test and visualised with boxplot analysis. A total of 180 medicinal plant species belonging to 63 families were documented, dominated by Asteraceae and Poaceae. Leaves were the most frequently used plant part, commonly prepared as powders. Ethnomedicinal knowledge showed significant altitudinal structuring, with the highest concentration of medicinal plant records at mid-elevations (1801–2600&#xa0;m a.s.l). Kruskal–Wallis analysis confirmed significant differences in species frequency distributions among altitudinal belts (H = 13.72, <i>p</i> = 0.003). Collection of medicinal species occurred mainly between February and October, with peak harvesting in April. Cross-cultural analyses revealed that the Pahari community retained the greatest proportion of unique medicinal knowledge (15 exclusive taxa), while Gujjar and Pahari groups shared 64 taxa, indicating strong intercultural exchange. RFC values ranged from 0.857 to 0.038, with <i>Mentha arvensis</i>&#xa0;and <i>Mentha longifolia</i> showing the highest cultural importance. Plant species were utilised to treat 27 categories of ailments, with gastrointestinal disorders representing the most frequently treated condition. Jaccard similarity values ranged from 6.96% to 13.91%, indicating generally low species similarity among the compared studies. These findings highlight ethnomedicinal knowledge as a dynamic biocultural system shaped by both ecology and cultural affiliation, while providing a foundation for conservation and future pharmacological research. These findings highlight ethnomedicinal knowledge as a dynamic biocultural system shaped by both ecology and cultural affiliation, while providing a foundation for conservation and future pharmacological research.</p>

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Biocultural structuring of ethnomedicinal knowledge across cultural and altitudinal gradients in the Western Himalayas

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月16日

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  • Choudhary Muhammad Babar,
  • Sadaf Kayani,
  • Musheerul Hassan,
  • Ivana Vitasović-Kosić,
  • Sayed Afzal Shah

摘要

Traditional medicinal knowledge is an important component of biocultural heritage in mountain ecosystems, where human communities have long relied on local plant resources for primary healthcare. Understanding how ecological conditions and cultural identity influence the distribution of this knowledge is essential for its conservation and sustainable use. Despite extensive ethnobotanical research in the Western Himalayas, previous studies from Kashmir and adjacent regions have mainly focused on floristic inventories and quantitative documentation, with limited attention to how ethnic identity and ecological gradients shape medicinal plant knowledge. This study applied an integrative biocultural framework to examine the spatial and cultural distribution of ethnomedicinal knowledge across an altitudinal gradient (1000–4500 m a.s.l.) in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Between March 2023 and November 2024, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 105 informants representing the Gujjar, Pahari, and Kashmiri ethnic groups. Data were analysed using Frequency of Citation (FC), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), and Jaccard Index (JI). Differences in medicinal plant use across altitudinal zones were evaluated using the Kruskal–Wallis test and visualised with boxplot analysis. A total of 180 medicinal plant species belonging to 63 families were documented, dominated by Asteraceae and Poaceae. Leaves were the most frequently used plant part, commonly prepared as powders. Ethnomedicinal knowledge showed significant altitudinal structuring, with the highest concentration of medicinal plant records at mid-elevations (1801–2600 m a.s.l). Kruskal–Wallis analysis confirmed significant differences in species frequency distributions among altitudinal belts (H = 13.72, p = 0.003). Collection of medicinal species occurred mainly between February and October, with peak harvesting in April. Cross-cultural analyses revealed that the Pahari community retained the greatest proportion of unique medicinal knowledge (15 exclusive taxa), while Gujjar and Pahari groups shared 64 taxa, indicating strong intercultural exchange. RFC values ranged from 0.857 to 0.038, with Mentha arvensis and Mentha longifolia showing the highest cultural importance. Plant species were utilised to treat 27 categories of ailments, with gastrointestinal disorders representing the most frequently treated condition. Jaccard similarity values ranged from 6.96% to 13.91%, indicating generally low species similarity among the compared studies. These findings highlight ethnomedicinal knowledge as a dynamic biocultural system shaped by both ecology and cultural affiliation, while providing a foundation for conservation and future pharmacological research. These findings highlight ethnomedicinal knowledge as a dynamic biocultural system shaped by both ecology and cultural affiliation, while providing a foundation for conservation and future pharmacological research.