ETHNOBOTANICAL AND ETHNOPHARMACOGNOSTIC EXPLORATION OF FOLK MEDICINES OF DEOSAI PLATEAU

Abstract

This dissertation communicates an explorative endeavor of the ethnobotany and pharmacognosy of folk medicines of Deosai plateau; a cold desert area of 7200km2, mostly located at an elevation of more than 4000m above the sea level. The plateau is an uninhabitable mountainous terrain surrounded by deep valleys covered with snow for almost nine months of the year. A structured questionnaire was used for documentation of folk knowledge regarding native plants used by Deosai associated communities. The localities analyzed for the pharmacognostic exploration included Dass Khirum Nalla, Chilim, Choti Deosai, Barri Deosai, Burzil, Sardar Kothi of District Astore, Gilgit-Baltistan Province, Pakistan. Formal interviews for documenting traditional knowledge regarding folk medicines of the area were gathered from traditional healers, hakeems, shepherds, farmers and forest guards of Deosai National Park. Ethnopharmacognostic of the drugs like texture, fracture, color, size, surface and broken surface features were noted. The plants used in folk remedies were collected from their natural habitats and submitted to Hazara University Herbarium, as future reference. It was observed that 93 plant species belonging to 38 families were used as folk remedies in the inaccessible areas of Deosai for treating diseases like dyspepsia, asthma, coughs, abdominal pain, tonic, expectorant, anathematic, carminative, skin diseases, snakebites, jaundice, diarrhea and dysentery. Folk preparations used for different ailments were documented. Field records in Deosai supported by observations of the community experts revealed that vegetation of the area was generally threatened with the indiscriminate use by the communities and their livestock, which has resulted in extinction pressure on 17 precious medicinal plants, which needs proper location-specific analyses for their rehabilitation/recovery of the species. The trends like uprooting medicinal plants, overgrazing, habitat fragmentation, and habitat loss due to soil erosion and land sliding are threatening plant life. Proper conservation efforts are necessary for sustainable development of plant resources especially medicinal plants for improved livelihood of the far placed communities of Deosai.