Sustainable harvest of medicinal plants at Bulashbar Nullah, Astore (Northern Pakistan)

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Abstract

Rapid decline of plant resources due to their conventional use needs ex-situ and in-situ conservation, training of the community regarding collection of medicinal plants and their marketing. In this regard, the Bulashbar valley, Astore, District Diamer was identified as a case study. The main objectives of this activity were to enlist economic, medicinal and aromatic plants including their occurrence, general distribution and abundance in the project areas; to determine traditional use and pharmaceutical values of each medicinal plant species found in the project area. Ethnobotanical studies of the area revealed that 33 plants were being used by the local communities for medicinal purposes. Two species, Bunium persicum and Ephedra gerardiana, are recommended for in vitro cultivation to obtain quick benefits. While Hippophae rhamnoides can be sustainably used for socio-economic uplift of the local communities.

Introduction

Stewart (1982) divided Gilgit into three main regions: (1) Astore, the main portion east of the Indus which includes Nanga Parbat (8126 m); (2) Gilgit proper, including the drainage basin of the Gilgit river plus the territory along the Indus from the junction of the Gilgit river with the Indus to ca. 1000 m; and (3) the drainage basin of the Hunza river which enters the Indus from the north a little below Gilgit town.

Rapid decline of plant resources due to their conventional use needs ex-situ and in-situ conservation, training of the community regarding collection of medicinal plants and their marketing. In this regard, the Bulashbar valley, Astore, District Diamer was identified as a case study. The main objectives of this activity were to enlist economic, medicinal and aromatic plants including their occurrence, general distribution and abundance in the project areas; to determine traditional use and pharmaceutical values of each medicinal plant species found in the project area.

Bulashbar nullah is situated between 35° 18′ Latitude and 74° 51′ longitude and the part of Bulashbar valley, Astore, District Diamer. Mean annual temperature of Bulashbar is 15 °C. Average annual rainfall is 200–300 mm.

The total population of the Bulashbar valley is 5715, 600 households living in 15 villages. Ethnically, majority of them are Sunni and they speak Astori Shina. Bulashbar valley has 38 pastures, Bulashbar nullah is one of them. Cultivated land is 120 ha.

G.T. Vigne visited Astore in 1834 while the sikhs were still in the control of the Punjab and Kashmir, but had not yet conquered Astore, Gilgit or Baltistan. Dr J.E.T. Aitchison (1836–98) and B.O. Coventry of Kashmir Forsetry Service collected a rare Ferula at Doian in Astore. Dr James Edward Winterbottom (1834–54), an English doctor, made collections in 1847–8 from Astore and Gilgit proper. His collections are placed at Kew Herbarium, UK. J.F. Duthie (1845–1922) of the Botanical Survey of India collected plants from Gilgit, Tilel and Astore. He was the first to write about his visit which is reported in the very first Record of Botanical Survey of India (Stewart, 1982).

Astore and Nanga Parbat have great altitudinal variation with different habitats and rich flora, ranging from a foothill zone with a Saharo-Sindian flora to the snow line. Most of the plants of Astore and Nanga Parbat, except for the foothill plants, are himalayan. These have pockets of evergreen forest as there are in the Naltar valley in Gilgit, and in Nagar (Stewart, 1982).

In early 1950 upto 84% of Pakistani population was dependent on traditional medicines for all or most of their medicinal use (Hocking, 1958).

In Himalayan ranges at least 70% of the medicinal plants and animals in the region consists of wild species, 70–80% of the population depend on traditional medicines for health care (Pie and Manandhar, 1987).

The plants, when used medicinally, have synergy and harmony within the human body due to the combinations and interactions of the chemical constituents they contain. The various chemicals work together to reach an equilibria in the body as they do in the plant, and so produce gentle progressive healing within the body's tissues. In isolating specific compounds from these medicinal plants, which are thought to be the major active constituent of the herb, the drug industry has created medicines that do produce a physiological response.

Section snippets

Methodology

The study was conducted in September, 2000 in Bulashbar valley, Astore. With the help of local communities, Bulashbar Nullah was identified as project area because it had rich vegetation and many medicinal herbs were being collected by locals.

Plants specimens were collected in Bulashbar nullah which included Thuko, Majini-Harai, Machkwathet, Jarjionji, Toqoharai, Nar-e-shong, Sagri 1 (the southern slope of hill) and Sagri 2 (the western slope of hill).

The plants were collected, identified,

Results

  • A. BERBERIDACEAE

  • 1. Berberis lycium Royle

Voucher specimen number: 1
Local name: Churku, Ishkeen
Part used: Roots, stem, branches, leaves and fruit.
General distribution: Pakistan to east Nepal 1500–3000 m. Common in cultivated areas of W. Himalaya, Karakorum. In Pakistan, Balochistan, Dir, Gilgit, Hazara, Murree and Azad Kashmir.
Chemical constituents: Berberine, umbellatine, berbamine, palmatine, starch grain and tanin (Zaman and Khan, 1970, Ikram and Hussain, 1978).
Uses: Roots are used as remedy

Discussion

From the very beginning of his existence, man has familiarized himself with plants and used them in a variety of ways throughout the ages. In search of food and to cope successfully with human suffering, primitive man began to distinguish those plants suitable for nutritional purposes from others with definitive pharmacological action. Therefore, some plants came to be widely used as food while others showed beneficial effects against various human sufferings such as injuries and diseases. This

General recommendations

  • 1

    The area depleted, due to over-exploitation of herbs and trees, should be protected completely and attempt should be made to cultivate these medicinal plants at different localities and elevations to look at change of active principle ingredients.

  • 2

    There is a lack of coordination between the local communities and trade group of the natural resources of Bullashbar Nullah. Coordination and cooperation among various agencies such as Foresters and pharmaceutical firms regarding utilization and

Acknowledgements

This project was partly funded by WWF-P (World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan) Gilgit, for which we are thankful.

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