Ethnobotany of Medicinal Plants For Sustainable Utilization as Herbal Drugs in Deserts of Southern Sindh-Pakistan

Abstract

The project is confined to the ethnobotanical exploration of medicinal plantsused as herbal drugs in the deserts of Southern Sindh, Pakistan and the microscopic identification. The study involved data documentation, plant collection, identification,field photography and data analyses using qualitative and quantitative ethnobotanical techniques (Use reports (UR), Use value (UV) and Relative frequency of citation (RFC); and microscopic characterization of pollen using electron microscopy. In total,124 important medicinal plant species belonging to 46 families were reported for the treatment of veterinary disorders and Human diseases. A total of 57 medicinal plant species of 29 families were reported by 186 local informants for the treatment of various veterinary disorders while a total of 79 medicinal plants belonging to 48 families were documented to treat chronic human disorders. Different plant families with various species were reported for veterinary disorders including Fabaceae (06 species) followed by Amaranthaceae, Convolvulaceae and Cucurbitaceae (04 species each) whereas Asteraceae (09 species) followed by Fabaceae (8 species) and Solanaceae (06 species) were found most reported plant species used against human diseases. The most dominant life form was herbs whereas it was reported in the current study that the most used common methods of utilization of recipes were decoction, powder, and juices. Among the plants used in veterinary disorders, Senna italica Mill., Solanum surrattense Burm. f., Fagonia bruguieri DC., Fumaria indica (Hausskn.) Pugsley, Mukia medraspatana (L.) M.Roem., Opuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.)Haw., Tamarix aphylla (L.) H.Karst. and Tribulus terrestris L. were commonly reported while for the treatment of human diseases. W e a l s o e x a m i n e d t h e palynological characters potentially to be used for the species delimitation of selected medicinal plants via acetolysis were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Medicinal species can be characterized by small to large sized pollen morphotypes sustainable development of new herbal drugs based upon traditional recipes. presenting diverse types of pollen shapes, prolate spheroidal, spheroidal, prolate, sub- prolate, sub-oblate and prolate and oblate. The present study highlights the baseline data for further experimental elucidation and validation through phytochemical and pharmacological research, which could be of develop interest in the design of sustainable development of new herbal drugs based upon traditional recipes.