Traditional Uses of Medicinal plants for Ethno-Medical practices (A case study of Jalalabad, Gilgit)

Abstract

The topic of my research is “Traditional uses of medicinal plants for Ethno medicinal practices”. The basic purpose of the study was to investigate local perception regarding the traditional importance of plants, and to find out the socio economic determinants of traditional uses of plants. Anthropological tools, interview guide, and focus group discussions were used to measure the perception of 30 respondents. Also in-depth interviews were conducted with respondents which were selected by using purposive and accidental sampling. The selected respondents were late adolescents (age 20-25), early adults (age 25-35), and old aged (50-75) belonging to different classes and backgrounds to have a representative sample. It was found that Traditional medicine remains the most affordable and easily accessible source of basic health care services for poor resource communities in Jalalabad, Gilgit. Local people have a long history of using plants for medicinal purposes. Despite the growing acceptance of traditional medicine in Jalalabad, Gilgit, this rich indigenous knowledge is not well documented. Records of plants used as traditional medicines are needed so that information can be stored and the plants used can be preserved and used continuously. The main purpose of this paper is to summarize information about the traditional use of medicinal plants in Jalalabad, to identify research gaps and to suggest ideas for future research