Exploration of Ethnobotanical and Ethnomedicinal Importance of Naturally Growing Plants of District Neelum From Areas of Dawarian to Ratti Gali, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Background: Ethnobotanical study was continued from old civilization to date. Kashmir covered with 46 % vagatation and out of these many are naturally growing plants. Many areas are still unexplored the plants ethnomedicinal inportanmce of wild plants. In this regard, ethnobotanical survey on the unexplored area of District Anthmaqam, Azad Jummu & Kashmir was conducted for identification of wild plants and their ethnomedical values. Methods: The current research work was carried out by interviewing the local peoples through a questionnaire method. Data analysis was done by different novel statistical tools such as fidelity level (FL), Spearman’s rank correlation (SRC), informant consensus factor (ICF) and direct matrix ranking (DMR) strategies. The ethnobotanical uses of many wild plants were correlated with the plants who already used by societies in some countries of the world. But few plants are used as medicines only indigenous peoples and we reccomented these plants for peoples in other parts of countery as well as throughout the world in future. Results: Peoples used plants in daily life as in form of vegetables, fodder, fuel, timber as well as for medicinal purposes. Indegeneous peoples are using many types of wild plants to cure different diseases like asthma, dysentery, constipation, cold, fever, joint pain, wound healing, kidney infection and many types of skin diseases. Current study revealed on 103 plants species belonging to 46 plant families from selected area of District Neelum, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It was observed that Asteraceae with 12 plants species was the the most prominant family occurs in the study area. Out of 103 plants, 75.72% have single-usage, 20.38% have dual-usages and 3.88% have multiple-usage. Among plant partused, leaves having the highest percentage (34 %) that are used by people of the study area for the treatment of different diseases followed by the root 25.2%. Powdered is the dosage form having highest percentage 38% followed by juice and mixture with 29% and 13%, respectively. Some plants used as fodder having highest percentage 37% followed by Food (vegetables and fruits) with 32%. Construction having lowest percentage with 6%. Different statistical tools were applied for more consize results elaboration as mentioned in method section. Data analysis through FL depicted that Allium griffithianum and Adiantum aethiopicum have highest fidelity level of 75% followed by the Mentha longifolia with fedility level of about 72 %. The highest ICF value for recorded for ear-ache and house-thatching (0.91) followed by the construction (0.89) while the lowest ICF value recorded for fodder (0.03) followed by blood purification (0.5). Spearman’s rank correlation test confirmed that the number of uses of plants increases with the increase in the number of species. Conclusions: The present research focused to explore the uses of plants in different purposes by experience of old peoples in the study area. Ethnobotanical research focused to explore the uses of plants in different purposes by experience of old peoples in the study area. Young gereration of the area did not know ethnobotanical importance of wild plants in the area. So, this study will be useful those peoples and researchers in different fields such as ethnopharmacology, agriculture and biotechnology for future work.