MEDICINAL USES OF ROSACEAE FAMILY PLANTS IN INDIGENOUS PRACTICES OF MASTUNG, PAKISTAN: POTENTIAL LEADS FOR PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL RESEARCH

Abstract

Medicinal plants have served as the foundation of traditional healthcare for centuries and still have significant health values for different disease. In the present study, the traditional medicinal applications of Rosaceae species among residents of Mastung District, Balochistan, Pakistan, have been documented and evaluated. Ethnomedicinal data were obtained using pre-tested, unstructured, structured together with semi-structured interviews with the indigenous people of various age groups, which include traditional herbal practitioners (pansars). 200 informants were recruited for the survey, comprising 58 males, 37 females and 5 pansar informants. The collected data was quantitatively analysed using ethnobotanical measures including Use Value (UV), Use Report (UR), Frequency Citation (FC), Relative Frequency Citation (RFC) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). In the present investigation, 68 medicinal species of 22 Rosaceae genera were recorded during the investigation. The main life form identified throughout the study region was shrubs. Medical plant taxa that proved to be most commonly reported were Pyrus malus, Prunus persica, Prunus amygdalus, Rosa indica, Cydonia oblonga, Potentilla multifida, Agrimonia eupatoria, Malus pumila and Fragaria vesca. Uses of fruits, leaves and flowers for herbal treatments against different health conditions were among the most widely utilized plant organs. The maximum Informant Consensus Factor (ICF = 0.77) was observed for respiratory ailments, while the lowest value was for disorders of eyes and vision (ICF = 0.22). Pyrus malus had the highest Frequency Citation (FC = 13), Use Report (UR = 9) and Relative Frequency Citation (RFC = 0.06) values, and Potentilla multifida had the highest Use Value (UV = 1.82). The predominant mode of preparation of the remedies remained decoction (52%). The findings revealed the ethnomedicinal values that have been retained among the local communities, and they emphasized the significance of conserving these medicinal plant resources for future pharmaceutical studies and development of drugs from natural products.