title: Ethnomedicinal uses of Edible Wild Fruits (EWFs) in Swat Valley, Northern Pakistan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study documents the ethno-pharmacological importance of Edible Wild Fruits (EWFs) resource in the wild floral emporium of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Northern Pakistan. This is imitated in the great diversity of plants used for medicinal purposes as well as in their wide range of therapeutic applications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ethnomedicinal data was collected through semi-structured and open ended interviews, questionnaires, field surveys and local gatherings. Use value (UV), Relative importance (RI), Relative frequency of citation (RFC), Informant consensus factor (ICF) and Family importance value (FIV) was calculated to elaborate the EWFs, their families, disease treated and significant fruit species based on use reports by informants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 47 species of EWFs belonging to 32 genera and 23 families were reported to be used in traditional medicines. Family Rosaceae dominated with 26% species followed by Moraceae (12%) and Rhamnaceae (10%), with mostly tree type of growth form (55%). The most consumed part of plants was fruit (72%) followed by leaves (21%). Decoction (26%) and unprocessed fruit (24%) were the major modes of crude drug preparation. The Informant consensus factor (ICF) of Joint/body aches was the highest followed by digestive disorders. Use value index of Vitis vinifera (3.8), being the highest, followed by Malus pumila (2) and Vitis parvifolia (2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tradition of using EWFs in treating ailments is a common practice among the tribal communities, depending on the socio-economic conditions of the people. The multiple uses of these EWFs suggest further investigation regarding phytochemical analysis and pharmaceutical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan. Electronic address: pukhtoonzada@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Muhammad Pukhtoon Zada
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
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 Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Ishtiaq
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Kunming Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 650201, China.
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
keywords: Digestive disorders; Pharmaceutical; Phytochemical; Phytotheraphy; Traditional knowledge