Ethnobotanical uses of the Flora of Banrgai, Talash Valley, District Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Background: The present study was carried out in the region of Banrgai, Talash Valley District Dir Lower North, Pakistan. The purpose of the study to explore the areas of Talash valley from all aspects regarding diversity of medicinal plants and folk medicinal knowledge. Traditional knowledge about medicinal plants used for various health problems was collected from the study area. Methods: Comprehensive field work was carried out in Banrgai valley, Talash district Dir Lower KP, Pakistan starts from, March to September 2014. The data obtained from informants were analyzed through various statistical techniques such as Use value (UV), Relative frequency citation (RFC), Relative popularity level (RPL) and Rank order priority (ROP). Results: The present study revealed that in Banrgai Valley has 39 plant families comprising of 63 species and 59 genera which were utilized by local inhabitants for various purposes. The Use Value (UV) ranged from 0.01 to 0.19, with the highest UV recorded for Verbascum thapsus (0.19) and Amaranthus viridis (0.19). The Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) values varied from 0.05 to 0.71, with the highest RFC documented for Sonchus oleraceus (0.71). The Fidelity Level (FL) ranged from 7.58% to 91%, with the highest FL recorded for Saccharum bengalense (91%). The Relative Popularity Level (RPL) ranged from 0.13 to 0.98, with the highest RPL values observed for Capsella bursa-pastoris and Chenopodium ambrosioides (both 0.98). The analysis revealed that the most commonly used plant portion for medicinal purposes is the leaves, underscoring their importance in traditional healing practices Conclusions: The Region of Banrgai, Talash Valley have rich diversity of medicinal flora. The several causes for this decreasing resource were, unsuitable agriculture applies, over grazing, over exploitation, deforestation occur for many uses such as fuel and timber in the investigation area. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Plant diversity, Banrgai, Talash valley, Pakistan

Biodiversity · Ethnobotany · Medicinal plants · Plant species · Traditional knowledge · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies · Natural Antidiabetic Agents Studies