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• Medicinal plants have been playing an important role in traditional healing systems. • A total of 125 plant species used in herbal medicine were identified. • The herbaceous used life form is dominantly in herbal preparation. • The maximum ICF index value is calculated for liver and digestive problems. • Berberis lyceum and Thymus sarphylum (100% FL) are used for treating jaundice and joint pain respectively. The current research is the first quantitative ethno-botanical assessment of district Haveli in the Himalayan region, a remote and undiscovered territory of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK). The people of the Himalayan region have a wealth of traditional knowledge that can be used to cure a variety of diseases. However, ethno-medicinal data must be recorded as soon as possible in order to preserve them and prevent extinction due to oral transmission, as well as to determine which remedies are still in use. Data was gathered from 70 informants (25 female and 45 male) through semi-structured interviews and group discussions. Informants were chosen at random or, in certain cases, using the snow-ball approach. To evaluate the gathered information, different ethnobotanical indices including UV, RFC, FL%, and ICF were used. Moreover, the information gathered in the current research work was contrasted with 22 different studies of aligned areas, including Pakistan. A total of 125 plant species used in herbal medicine were identified, which were distributed among 56 families and employed in 16 illness categories. Asteraceae (16 spp.) was the most used family in the area. The herbaceous life form was dominantly (66 spp., 53.65%) used in herbal preparation. The most commonly used part in herbal medicine was leaves (29.55%), and the most generally used method for preparing herbal recipes was extract (26.53%). The maximum ICF index value (0.92) was calculated for liver and digestive problems. The highest UV (0.92) was calculated for Berginia virgata. Olea ferruginea had the highest relative importance (100). Two plant species, Berberis lycium and Thymus surphylum, had 100% fidelity value. A high similarity was found with the study conducted on Devi Gali and Neelum valley with JI of 16.75 and 14.58. The plants with the highest levels of UV, RFC, RI, and FL would be examined for future pharmacological study in order to validate the findings and produce novel medications. Local residents have remained closer to nature due to their lack of communication with modern civilization. Despite the fact that they continued to employ medicinal plants in different herbal recipes, this tradition is on the verge of extinction since it is mostly retained by hakims, midwives, or the elderly people. The new generation is much less interested in traditional health practices due to advanced healthcare facilities and modern lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is home to a vast range of medicinal and edible waterbird species due to its diverse geographical environment. Waterbird species have been used for various ailments and cultural practices since ancient times, while ethno-pharmacological applications and cultural uses of waterbird species in this area have seldom been documented. This study is the first ethnomedicinal and cultural assessment of waterbird species, and the first compilation and listing of all known data on these species in Eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods: Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data from native respondents (N = 100). To analyze the data, principal component analysis (PCA), relative frequency of citation (RFC), fidelity level (FL%), relative popularity level (RPL), rank order priority, and similarity index were used. Results: In total, 64 waterbird species were utilized in cultural practices, of which 40 species are used to cure different infectious and chronic diseases such as cold, cough, flu, fever, respiratory disorders, asthma, TB, gastric ulcers, kidney stones, male impotency, obesity, paralysis, piles, cancer, arthritis, body pain, and weakness. PCA showed significant differences in the use of waterbird species among the local inhabitants of the study area, separated along the axis-2 (p < 0.05). The FL% of waterbird species varied from 12 to 100%. 100% FL was analyzed for four waterbird species, i.e., Charadrius mongolus (cold), Gallicrex cinerea (asthma), Anas platyrhynchos (cancer), and Esacus recurvirostris (body weakness). In this study, Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) was the most popular species used in the healthcare system of Eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with high RFC (4.06), FL% (100), and RPL (1.0) values. Conclusion: We concluded that waterbird species are more used for medicine and food purposes in the study area. However, in vitro/in vivo assessment of biochemical activities of waterbird species with a maximum FL% might be significant to produce novel drugs. Recent research shows important ethno-ornithological information about native people and their links with waterbird species, which might be helpful for the sustainable use of waterbird diversity in the research area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Humans have interacted with reptile and amphibian species for millennia. The current study was designed to collect knowledge about the use of amphibian and reptile species by the native peoples residing along the Jhelum and Chenab rivers in Punjab, Pakistan. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative assessment of the cultural uses of amphibian and reptile species in the study area. However, hunting, trade, and cultural use are the greatest threats to the diversity of the amphibians and reptiles in the studied area. These threats can potentially lead to their extinction. It is important to protect the highly endangered and vulnerable species employed in therapeutic medications, more specifically in terms of their conservation. Amphibians and reptiles have interacted with humans for millennia. However, humans interact with amphibian and reptile species in different manners, which depend on their culture and traditions. This study was designed to better understand the interactions between amphibian and reptile species and their usage among the native peoples in the vicinity of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers, Pakistan. Information was collected through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, and was analyzed by using different indices, including the frequency of citation, corrected fidelity level, fidelity level, relative importance level, and informant major ailment. Two amphibians and twenty-six reptile species were used in therapeutic medicine in the study area. Based on the cultural analysis, we found that Naja naja (black cobra) was highly cited across all cultural groups. A 100% Fidelity Level was calculated for the following species: Naja naja (eye infection), Varanus bengalensis (joint pain), Eurylepis taeniolatus (cataract), and Acanthodactylus cantoris (cancer). We found five endangered species in the study area, i.e., Aspideretes gangeticus, A. hurum, Chitra indica, Varanus flavescens, and Geoclemys hamiltonii, that were used to cure joint pain, muscle stretching and pain, backbone pain, paralysis, and psoriasis, respectively. Likewise, Lissemys punctata andersoni, a vulnerable species as labelled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, was extensively used for the treatment of joint pain, body pain, paralysis, and arthritis in the study area. In terms of conservation, it is critical to protect the highly vulnerable and endangered species that are being used in therapeutic medicines. Our findings may be helpful for the conservation of amphibian and reptile species by helping to make an effective plan to prevent their extinction. The main threats to the diversity of amphibian and reptile species in the area are hunting, trading, and cultural use. These threats could potentially lead to the extinction of these species. Therefore, with the involvement of concerned authorities, e.g., local stakeholders, the Ministry of Climate Change, provincial wildlife departments, academia, and conservation managers, immediate conservation measures should be taken for the protection and sustainable utilization of medicinal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]