Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants in Kotli Sattian, Rawalpindi district, Pakistan

The present study aimed to report the ethnomedicinal information from Kotli Sattian, district Rawalpindi for detailed medicinal uses and to inform the community about conservation of medicinal plant diversity and ethnomedicinal knowledge of plants.

Ethnomedicinal data were collected via Rapid Appraisal Approach (RAA) along with interview, group meetings with local people having awareness about medicinal knowledge of plants and individual meetings with local healers.

This study reported eighty seven (87) indigenous medicinal plants, distributed among fifty five (55) families and seventy nine (79) genera. Among these, herbs contributed 43%, trees 28%, shrubs 21% and climbing plants 8%. About 34% of herbal preparations were made from whole plants followed by the leaves (27%), fruits (08%), bark (06%), seeds (05%), root (05%), rhizome (04%), stem, flower, gum, pod and tubers (02%) and milky latex (01%). Justicia adhatoda showed the maximum use value (0.91) while Cuscuta reflexa showed the least use value (0.11).

Elder people in the study area still rely on herbal remedies although the modern heath care facilities are present in the study area; thus, the indigenous plants remain important medicines in solving health problems.