title: Ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants for respiratory disorders among the inhabitants of Gallies - Abbottabad, Northern Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rich accessibility of medicinal plants in the study area provides low cost health care for respiratory disorders to local communities. This first report survey was commenced with an aim to document ethnic knowledge regarding the use of folk herbal medicine for respiratory diseases among the local communities of Gallies Abbottabad, Northern Pakistan using quantitative ethnobotanical approaches.
  
  
  METHODS
  Field survey was carried out over the period of 2 years i.e., March 2012-March 2014 in study area. The ethnomedicinal data was collected through interviews among the local communities. Documented data was evaluated using use value (UV) and Relative Frequency Citation (RFC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 120 species of plants belonging to 90 genera of 51 families were reported to be used ethnomedicinally for the treatment of 25 different respiratory disorders. Leaves were the most commonly used plant parts and most of the herbal medicines were prepared in the form of decoctions and administered orally. The most significant species according to their use value were Solanum virginianum (5.00), Althea officinalis (3.00), Inula obtusifolia (3.00), Saxifraga hirculus (3.00) and Sisymbrium erysimoides (3.00).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study reported traditional herbal medicines for the first time to be used against respiratory disorders in the Gallies, Northern Pakistan are still in common practice by the local communities. Some of the new ethnobotanical claims documented in this investigation should need to be further explore clinically. The medicinal plants with highest use values recorded in this study may signpost the probable existence of valuable phytochemical compounds that requires a search for prospective new drugs to cure many respiratory disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sadaf
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kayani
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan. Electronic address: mushtaqflora@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mushtaq
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zafar
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Shazia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sultana
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Pukhtoon Zada
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Geology University of Malaya, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Muhammad Aqeel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Nizwa, Oman.
authors.forename: Javid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Ghulam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yaseen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004522:Educational Status; D019448:Ethnobotany; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: Gallies; Medicinal plants; Northern Pakistan; Respiratory disorders