title: Ethno veterinary uses of medicinal plants of district Karak, Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the study area, the traditional knowledge regarding the uses of local wild medicinal plants for treating diseases of domestic animals and birds is totally in the custody of elders of the existing community. The young ones are not much aware about such important practices.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The main aim of the study was to document and to release this knowledge from the custody of elders and share with the community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total 115 people between 20 and 80 years of age were interviewed and information was collected through semi-structured questionnaires. The data obtained were quantitatively analyzed using the use value (UV) formula. The collected specimens were pressed, dried, preserved, mounted on Herbarium sheets, identified properly and were submitted in the Herbarium, Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With the co-ordination and cooperation of the local people, 46 plant species of 42 genera belonging to 31 families were collected, 3 were monocotyledons while 43 plant species belonged to dicotyledonae class. Considering taxonomic characteristics, it was confirmed that 12 trees, 10 shrubs and 22 herbs were commonly used by the local people in ethno veterinary practices. Two plants like Cistanche tubulosa and Cuscuta reflexa from family Orobanchaceae and family Cuscutaceae respectively lack chlorophyll and are parasites on host plants like Doedonia, Ziziphus, Calligonum and Calotropis. The powder of both plants showed great ethno veterinary value. The parts of 46 plant species commonly used for ethno veterinary practices were whole plants (32.60%), leaves (26.08%), fruits (17.39%), stems (13.04%) and roots (10.86%). Medicinal plants were administered through various routes i.e. oral (78.26%), skin (17.21%) and smoke (4.34%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The traditional knowledge of local plants of ethno veterinary values is mainly possessed by elders and transmitted from generation to generation with chances of elimination of such traditional knowledge due to less awareness. The present study was designed to document this ethno veterinary related knowledge and to share it with community members for use in future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Noor Saeed
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Khattak
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan; Department of Bioinformatics, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan. Electronic address: faisalnouroz.hu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Faisal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nouroz
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan.
authors.lastname: Inayat Ur Rahman
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Shumaila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noreen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019155:Veterinary Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations; D019155:Veterinary Drugs
keywords: Domestic birds; Ethno veterinary; Karak; Livestock; Medicinal plants