Quantitative ethnobotanical investigation in Northern District of Lesser Himalayas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

Background: The present study provides valuable insights into the traditional uses of medicinal plants by the inhabitants of the Northern District of the lesser Himalayas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The study likely focuses on documenting and preserving the region’s indigenous knowledge and practices related to medicinal plants. Ethnobotanical data were collected by interviewing 72 local informants including practitioners, farmers, teachers, and laborers from different localities of District Jhelum Valley. Different quantitative tools were used for the analysis of ethnobotanical data including relative frequency of citation, use value, informant consensus factor, fidelity level, cultural value, practical value, consensus value for plant part, rank order priority, percentage respondent knowledge, economic value and their total value were calculated. Jaccard’s index (JI) was used to compare the present knowledge with the previous studies in the same or surrounding areas. Results: A total of 129 species belonging to 111 genera and 63 families were documented along with their ethnobotanical uses. Dominant families based on the number of species include Rosaceae contributing 12 species followed by Asteraceae and Saxifragaceae with 8 species each. The comparative study of the novelty of species and their uses by the JI revealed 13 novel plant species which were not reported earlier from this region. Conclusions: This information is not only important for scientific and ethnobotanical purposes but also for the sustainable management of medicinal plant resources and the potential discovery of new natural medicine. Such studies can help to bridge the gap between traditional and modern medicines and collaboration between traditional healers and health care practitioners.