Ethnobotanical heritage and conservation priorities of medicinal flora in a remote Himalayan border region of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

The present study is the first quantitative ethnobotanical report on the traditional and new uses of medicinal plants by the inhabitants of a remote and unexplored area in Tehsil Abbaspur, District Poonch, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The area is disputed territory on the edge of the Line of Control between India and Pakistan and is rich in plant diversity and socio-economic culture. During the field studies, data was collected from 62 informants using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. It was found that women knew more about the therapeutic uses of plants and herbal recipes (average 5.20 known species; 8.39 mentioned uses) than men (average 3.95 known species; 7.31 mentioned uses). A total of 125 medicinal plants from 70 genera and 61 families were documented, with Asteraceae being the most commonly used family in the area. The leaves were the most commonly used plant parts, and the extract was the most common method of preparing herbal recipes. The highest informant consensus factor (0.83) was found for indigestion and liver disorders. Mentha longifolia had the highest use value (0.96) and the highest relative frequency of citations (0.88). High relative importance values (100) were found for Berberis lycium and Mentha longifolia. Four species, namely Fragaria vesca, Berberis lycium, Mentha arvensis and Malus domestica had a fidelity value of 100. The highest similarity in the use of plants was found in studies conducted in related areas of Kotli and Toli Peer districts, indicating similar flora and strong cross-cultural exchange of ethnomedicinal knowledge between the communities. Seven plant species, namely Asplenium dalhousiae (snake bite), Cynoglossum lanceolatum (kidney disease), Sunhangia elegans(hypertension), Glycine max (liver inflammation), Impatiens edgeworthii (urinary tract infection). Plumbago zeylanica (appetite) and Swertia cordata (diabetes) were reported for the first time with new uses. The new claims about the therapeutic use of these species show that medicinal flora research still has much to offer. Mentha longifolia, Mentha. arvensis, Berberis lycium, Fragaria vesca, and Malus domestica received the most citations for their use. These highly cited plant species indicate the presence of valuable phytochemical compounds and are suggested for further pharmacological investigations to introduce new drugs. In the younger generations, botanical customs and resources are rapidly declining due to the pursuit of modernization, cultural homogeneity and overexploitation. Strict conservation measures must be taken immediately to protect traditional knowledge and ensure sustainable utilisation of plant resources. The highly important medicnal plants species including Ajuga bracteosa, Achillea millefolium, Angelica glauca, Myrsine Africana, Elsholtzia ciliate, Melia azedarach and Rhododendron arboretum, Viola odorata and Zanthoxylum armatum become endangered in the area due to overexplotition by local people, therefore need immediate conservation strategies to optimize their sustainable utilization and long term survival.