Ethnobotanical and ecological assessment of plant resources at District Dir, Tehsil Timergara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract Background Ethnobotanical and ecological study of plants is very important in understanding the culture of a society and it provides a base for further study on scientific lines. This paper, the use of medicinal plants and their role in the treatment of different diseases have been duly observed and noted in Tehsil Timergara. Methods The survey was carried out from September 2014 to October 2016. During this survey, a total of 16 trips with 4 in each season were carried out to collect data. A total of 115 respondents were interviewed through questionnaires regarding the available medicinal plants; most of the respondents were 65 to 80 years old. The obtained ethnobotanical data was then analyzed by Frequency Citation (FC), Relative Frequency Citation index (RFC), and Use Value index (UV) to find the most common plants species used for various diseases. Results The local community of the study area, 59 plant species belonging to 39 genera, 28 families for different medicinal purposes. During the survey 38 species were herbs, 6 shrubs, and 15 trees. Leaf and whole plants were most frequently used parts in making of medicine while 30% of the whole plant was used in the ethnobotanical uses. A total of 46 plants showed important value in the ethnomedicinal purpose, in which the highest number of species (11) were used for chest problem particularly in a cough, as laxatives (4) and in asthma (5 species), 14 species were used as fuel which is also an important feature of the plants. Soil analysis of five collection area is studied. Conclusion The current result of RFC and UV shows that medicinal flora needs to be pharmacologically and phytochemically investigated to prove their efficacy. The documentation of medicinal knowledge is important to preserve this precious old knowledge before it is lost forever, due to technological and environmental changes in the world.