Ethnobotanical importance of medicinal plants traded in Herbal markets of Rawalpindi- Pakistan

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Ethnopharmacological studies are one of the important steps in bio-prospecting and preserving traditional uses of medicinal plants. The aim of the present study was to document and highlight medicinal plant species traded in Rawalpindi herbal markets using quantitative ethnobotanical indices. Methods: The data was documented from herbal sellers and herbalists and local people using standard ethnobotanical methods. The data was analyzed using Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Use Value (UV), Fidelity Level (FL), Relative Importance (RI) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). Results: In total, reports of 92 medicinal plants belonging to 44 families were studied. The most used plant parts and mode of utilization were roots (21 reports) and decoction (55 reports) respectively. The most commonly used species was Berberis lyceum, while gastrointestinal diseases were commonly reported (106 reports). The RFC ranged from 0.09 (Cinnamomum tamala) to 0.5 (Linum usitatissimum). The UV ranged from 0.125 (Asparagus racemosus) to 0.34 (Syzygium aromaticum). The RI varied from 18 (Nerium oleander) to 100 (Berberis lyceum). The highest FL was found for 5 species, while the ICF ranged from 0 to 0.45 (gastrointestinal ailments). Conclusions: The herbal markets of Rawalpindi-Pakistan are enriched with the diversity of medicinal plants having cultural and socioeconomic values. Based on the results, plant species Quercus oblongata, Saussurea heteromalla, Senna alexandrina, Colchicum luteum, Narthex asafetida, Holarrhena pubescens, Ziziphus nummularia and Acacia concinna were reported as having novel traditional uses with the potential to treat various diseases and with the highest ethnobotanical index values and may be used in herbal practices in various health care systems.