Healing with Nature: Ethnobotanical Documentation of Medicinal Flora in Fajigram, District Bajaur, Pakistan

Fajigram, known for its rich vegetation, was surveyed to document traditional medicinal plant knowledge through systematic ethnobotanical fieldwork conducted from August 2022 to September 2023. Plant specimens were collected during their flowering and fruiting stages to ensure accurate identification and proper recording of their uses. A total of 81 plant species belonging to 37 families were collected for the curing of various diseases. The leading family was Asteraceae, comprising 11 (13.58%) species, while the whole plant was the most frequently utilized, reported in 25 species (30.86%), followed by roots, seeds, leaves and other parts in varying proportions. Ethnobotanical data were obtained through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with approximately three hundred indigenous inhabitants from different villages within the study area. The sample included an equal representation of males and females with ages ranging from 33 to 99 years. The recorded information includes local name, botanical name, family name, part used and specific medicinal applications of each species. Although no extensive research was conducted before this to investigate the medicinal uses of these plants in the study area and the findings not only preserve valuable traditional knowledge that is at risk of being lost due to socio-cultural changes but also provide a rich foundation for future pharmacological investigations and conservation strategies.