Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 5(32), pp. 7073-7075, 30 December, 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.

org/JMPR ISSN 1996-0875 2011 Academic Journals

DOI: 10.5897/JMPR11.1358

Short Communication

Ethnobotanical survey of common medicinal plants used by people of district Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
M. Akram1, Muhammad Irfanullah Siddiqui2, Naveed Akhter3, Muhammad Khurram Waqas4, Zafar Iqbal3, Muhammad Akram5, Aubid Allah Khan3, Asadullah Madni3, H. M. Asif3
1

Faculty of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. 2 Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan. 3 University College of Pharmacy, The University of Punjab Lahore, Pakistan.
Accepted 14 November, 2011

Medicinal plants are used for treatment of various diseases in Unani system of medicine. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by people of Sargodha was carried out. This study was carried on the basis of survey. 10 hakim and 40 local people were included in the study and interviewed. The study area was Sargodha. In this study, medicinal uses of plant were presented. Key words: Ethnobotanical studies, medicinal plants, Sargodha, Punjab.

INTRODUCTION Medicinal plants have been used for healing purposes and people all over the world are still using medicinal plants as treatment for various ailments. Synthetic drugs and new synthesized drugs are not able to replace herbal medicine because herbal medicine are effective and have few or no side effects. Documentation of the indigenous knowledge through ethno botanical studies is important for the conservation and utilization of biological resources. This study was conducted to document information on medicinal plants that are used for treatment of various diseases in district Sargodha, Province Punjab. Medicinal plants used for various diseases were identified. The present study indicates that practice of traditional medicine will continue inspite of advancement in allopathic system of medicine. It has been estimated by the world health organization that 80% of the world s population relies on traditional medicine (which are usually plant based) to meet their daily health requirements (Shinwari and Muqarrab, 2007). Traditional foods and medicine cannot be neglected (Begossi, 1998; Pieroni et al., 2002).
MATERIALS AND METHODS Study area Sargodha is a district in Punjab, Pakistan. The people of Sargodha use traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases. Majority of the population of Sargodha live in rural areas. The data were collected from 10 hakims and 40 old men living in Sargodha. Questionnaire contains names of plant and its uses. Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. Common names: Kwargandal, aloe Parts used: Leaf Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae Uses: Arthritis, wound healing Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile. Common names: Kekar, gum arabic Parts used: Pod Family: Fabaceae Uses: It is used in liver disorders Althaea officinale Vernacuar name: Resha khatimi Family: Malvaceae Uses: It is used as anti-inflammatory agent Allium cepa Vernacuar name: Tukhm peyaz Family: Amaryllidaceae

*Corresponding author. E-mail: makram_0451@hotmail.com.

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Uses: It is used as paste at boils Avena sativa Linn. Common name: Jao, oat Parts used: Seeds Family: Poaceae Uses: Tension and skin alergies Badian Local name: Badian Botanical name: Foeniculum vulgare English name: Badiyan Family name: Apiaceae Urdu: Location: Uses of plant Local use: Flower and green leaves decoction is used for cough, fever, body ache and abdominal pain. It is used as antiflatulent in children. It is commonly used in indigestion. Bombax ceiba L. Common name: Simbal Parts used: Flowers, roots, bark and seeds Family: Malvaceae Uses: Dysentery, stimulant, blood purification, constipation, snake bite and gonorrhoea. Brassica napus Vernacular name: Tukhm Shalgham Family: Brassicaceae Uses: It is used as diuretic and is cooked Citrus aurantium Common name: Bitter orange Uses: It is used as appetizer, stimulant, aromatic and stomachic Chenopodium album L. Common names: Bathu, goose foot Parts used: Whole plant Uses: it is used in liver disorders. It is used as diuretic agent Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. Common names: Nimboo, lemon Parts used: Fruit Uses: Toothpowder for teeth diseases and in infections Cucumis melo var. agrestis Naudin Common names: Chibbar, wild water melon Parts used: Fruit and seed Uses: It is used as diuretic Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. Common names: Akash bail, dodder Parts used: Stem Uses: It is used in melancholia Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. Common names: Khabal, bahm grass Parts used: Whole plant Uses: Treatment of wounds. Cyperus rotundus L. Common name: Deela Parts used: Rhizomes Ethnomedicinal uses: Fever, diarrhoea, dysentery and blood disorders. Tuberous, indigestion, diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, stomachic and diuretic.

Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.ex DC. Common names: Tali, rosewood Parts used: Bark Uses: it is used as a paste at swelling Daucus carota Vernacuar name: Tukhm gazar Uses: It is used as diuretic and urinary tract infections Datura alba Vernacuar name: Tukhm dhatura Uses: It is used as bronchodilator in asthma Desmostachya bipinnata (L.) Common names: Dab, tail grass Parts used: Leaf Uses: Decoction made from leaves is used to treat fever. Eucalyptus camaldulensis Common names: Sofeda, eucalyptus Parts used: Leaf Uses: Common cold, nose infections, common cold. Ficus religiosa L. Common names: Pipal, sacred fig Parts used: Bark Uses: It is used in urinary tract infections Ficus benghalensis L. Common names: Boher, banyan Parts used: Latex Uses: It is used in sexual weakness Melia azedarach L. Common names: Dherak, chinaberry Parts used: Leaf and fruit Uses: It is used in diabetes mellitus and as blood purifier. Morus nigra L. Common names: Kala toot, mulberry Parts used: Root, leaf and fruit Uses: Bad thorax, stomach worms, Phoenix dactylifera L. Common names: Khajur, date Parts used: Fruit Ethnomedicinal uses: Sexual weakness Psidium guajava L. Common names: Amrood, guava Parts used: Fruit Uses: Improvement of appetite, and stomach problems. Punica granatum L. Common names: Anar, pomegranate Parts used: Exocarp of fruit Uses: Dysentery and menstrual irregularities. Ricinus communis L. Common names: Hernoli, castor oil Parts used: Seed Uses: It is used as laxative Rosa indica L. Common Names: Gulab, rose Parts used: Flower and seed Uses: Eye disorders and heart disease.

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Saccharum spontaneum L. Common name: Sarrout Parts used: Whole plant Uses: Improvement of appetite and in the treatment of abdominal pain Sesamum indicum Vernacuar name: Til siah Uses: It is used in general weakness Solanaceae: Datura inoxia Mill. Common names: Datura, thorn apple Parts used: Seed Uses: Gonorrhea Solanum nigrum L. Common names: Kainch mainch, nightshade Parts used: Leaf Uses: Abnormal and painful secretions from ears. Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels Common names: Jaman, jambolan Parts used: Seed Uses: Diabetes Withania somnifera Linn Family: Solanaceae Local name: Aksan, asgand Parts used: Whole plant Medicinal use: Roots are used as diuretic and tonic used in ulcers boils and rheumatism. Zea mays Common name: Makai Parts used: Stigma of female flowers Ethnomedicinal uses: Urinary disorders, Bladder cleaning and kidney disorders.

plants have great pharmacological and ethnobotanical significance. Plants are used in the treatment of various diseases. Therefore, this type of study helps in designing new formulation and new drug development (Usmanghani and Saeed, 1997; Rout and Pandey, 2007). Such ethnobotanical studies enable the transfer of knowledge on plant-based treatments (our natural inheritance) to future generations.

Conclusion Herbal drugs in the traditional system of medicine are well documented. In recent years, there has been a growing trend to evaluate the ethnobotonical uses of medicinal plants so that a systemic approach could be adopted for their therapeutic utilization. Rural communities in Sargodha are a rich source of information on medicinal plants as presented in this study. This study is important to preserve the knowledge of medicinal plants used by the people of Sargodha. But there is need to scientifically evaluate the efficacy of these medicinal plants.
REFERENCES Begossi A (1998). Food taboos-a scientific reason? In: Pendergas HDV, Etkin NDR, Harris P, Houghton Z (Eds) Plants for food and medicine. Royal Bot. Garden, Kew, UK, pp. 441-46. Pieroni A, Giusti ME, Grazzini A (2002). Animal remedies in the folk medicinal practices of the Lucca and Pistoia Provinces, Central Italy. In: Fleurentin J, Pel JM, Mazars G (Eds). Des sources du savoir aux medicaments du future/ from the sources of knowledge to the medicines of the future. Proceedings of the Fourth European Colloquium of Ethnopharmocology, Paris, France (IRD eds.), pp. 371-375. Shinwari MI, Muqarrab S (2007). Medicinal plants of Margalla Hill National Park Islamabad, HEC printing Press Islamabad Pakistan, P. 1 Usmanghani K, Saeed A(1997). Indusynic Medicine, Department of Pharmacognosy, Fac. Pharm., Univ. Karachi, 1: 1-8. Rout SD, Pandey AK (2007). Ethnomedicobiology of Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Orissa. In:Das AP, Pandey AK (Eds). Adv. Ethnobot. Dehera Dun, pp. 247-252.

DISCUSSION Herbal physician use herbal medicine for treatment of diseases. Documentation of such type of study helps in understanding indigenous knowledge systems. This study indicates that people living in Sargodha have vast knowledge about uses of plant growing in their areas. People of this community were interested to share their knowledge with others. This study is important to preserve the knowledge of medicinal plants used by people of Sargodha. In this study, many of plants were identified for the management of various diseases. The surveys of phytopharmacological literatures of these