Study of Perceptional Attitude of Resource Limited Uri Populace of District Baramullah Toward Traditional Medicinal Usage in the Kashmir Himalayas

ABSTRACT

The ethnic knowledge of alternative medicines of Tehsil Uri was documented for its diverse eco-edaphic and floral features. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, and group discussions. The 573 informants were selected through snow-ball sampling. For quantification of the data Relative Importance Index (RII), Relative Frequency Citation (RFC) and Use Value (UV) were used. A total of 97 medicinal plants were reported for their medicinal values. The informants of age 40 years or above were more knowledgeable. Most of the local people (73.08%) used medicinal plants to cure digestive problems. The dominant family was Asteraceae (N = 16) and the most dominant life form was herb (73 Sp.). Leaves (38 Sp.) were the most commonly used plant part and decoction (N = 22) was the most common mode of preparation. The highest RFC value was reported for Juglans regia (0.88); the highest RII value was obtained for Achillea millefolium (0.97), and Punica granatum had the highest UV of 0.100.

KEYWORDS:

• Medicinal plants
• indigenous knowledge
• ethnobotany

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).