Abstract
Medicinal plants play a vital role in the human health care system of tribal communities and in the treatment of various gynecological problems. This study is an effort to document important medicinal flora used for the treatment of gynecological problems by indigenous people living in a tribal region near the Pak-Afghan border. The main objective of the study was to establish a clear profile of indigenous knowledge and practices from the unexplored tribal territory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and group discussions. The data were analyzed through Use Value and Factor of Informant Consensus. A total of 52 medicinal plants were recorded from the area; the most widely accepted were Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal (94 Use Value), Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (93 Use Value), Prunus domestica L. (91 Use Value), Myrtus communis L. (91 Use Value), Cannabis sativa L. (91 Use Value) and Nigella sativa L. (90 Use Value). A high consensus factor was recorded for menses-related problems (0.95). The root was the main part used (23% plants), followed by the leaves (20% plants), whole plant (18% plants), fruit (18% plants), and seed (13% plants). A total of 21 plants were used to treat menses-related problems, followed by sexual problems (ten plants), leucorrhea (nine plants), gastric problems (seven plants) and amenorrhea (seven plants). Knowledge related to ethnogynecological treatments is restricted to midwives and traditional healers. In conclusion, the documented flora that is particularly important to medicinal plants may be researched in the future to discover new pharmaceutical, neutraceutical and other pharmacological agents against gynecological complaints.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Abascal, K., Yarnell, E., 2008. Botanical galactagogues. Altern. Complement Ther. 14, 288–294.
Abbasi, A.M., Khan, M.A., Shah, M.H., Shah, M.M., Pervez, A., Ahmad, M., 2013. Ethnobotanical appraisal and cultural values of medicinally important wild edible vegetables of Lesser Himalayas-Pakistan. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 9, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-66.
Abdulelah, H.A.A., Zainal-Abidin, B.A.H., 2007. In vivo anti-malarial tests of Nigella sativa (black seed) different extracts. Am. J. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 2, 46–50.
Adnan, M., Bibi, R., Mussarat, S., Tariq, A., Shinwari, Z.K., 2014a. Ethnomedicinal and phytochemical review of Pakistani medicinal plants used as antibacterial agents against Escherichia coli. Ann. Clin. Microbiol. Antimicrob. 13, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12941-014-0040-6.
Adnan, M., Ullah, I., Tariq, A., Murad, W., Azizullah, A., Khan, A.L., Ali, N., 2014b. Ethnomedicine use inthewaraffected region of northwest Pakistan. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 10, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-10-16.
Agrawala, I.P., Achar, M.V., Boradkar, R.V., Roy, N., 1968. Galactagogue action of Cuminum cyminum and Nigella staiva. Indian J. Med. Res. 56, 841–844.
Ahmad, I., Mehmood, Z., Mohammad, F., 1998. Screening of some Indian medicinal plants for their antimicrobial properties. J. Ethnopharmacol. 62, 183–193.
Ahmad, M., Sultana, S., Fazl-i-Hadi, S., Ben Hadda, T., Rashid, S., Zafar, M., Khan, M.A., Khan, M.P.Z., Yaseen, G., 2014. An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in high mountainous region of Chail valley (District Swat-Pakistan). J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 10, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-10-36.
Akhtar, N., Rashid, A., Murad, W., Bergmeier, E., 2013. Diversity and use of ethnomedicinal plants in the region of Swat, North Pakistan. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 9, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-25.
Aleksic, V., Knezevic, P., 2014. Antimicrobial and antioxidative activity of extracts and essential oils of Myrtus communis L. Microbiol. Res. 169, 240–254.
Ali, A., Alkhawajah, A.A., Randhawa, M.A., Shaikh, N.A., 2008. Oral and intraperitoneal LD50 of thymoquinone, an active principle of Nigella sativa, in mice and rats. J. Ayub. Med. Coll. Abbottabad. 20, 25–27.
Ali, B.H., Blunden, G., 2003. Pharmacological and toxicological properties of Nigella sativa. Phytother. Res. 17, 299–305.
Ali, E.M., Almagboul, A.Z., Khogali, S.M., Gergeir, U.M., 2012. Antimicrobial activity of Cannabis sativa L. Chin. Med. 3, 61–64.
Ali, S.S., 1997. Unani Advia-e-Mufradah, 8th ed. National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), New Delhi, pp. 33.
Anonymous, 2007. The Unani Pharmacopoeia of India. Part I, vol. I. Depart. of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India, New Delhi, pp. 7–8.
Appendino, G., Gibbons, S., Giana, A., Pagani, A., Grassi, G., Stavri, M., Smith, E., Rahman, M.M., 2008. Antibacterial cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa: a structure-activity study. J. Nat. Prod. 71, 1427–1430.
Aziz, M.A., Khan, A.H., Adnan, M., Izatullah, I., 2017. Traditional uses of medicinal plants reported by the indigenous communities and local herbal practitioners of Bajaur Agency, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas Pakistan. J. Ethnophar-macol. 198, 268–281.
Burits, M., Bucar, F., 2000. Antioxidant activity of Nigella sativa essential oil. Phytother. Res. 14, 323–328.
Cakir, A., 2004. Essential oil and fatty acid composition of the fruits of Hippophae rhamnoides L (Sea Buckthorn) and Myrtus communis L. from Turkey. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 32, 809–816.
Chambers, R., 1992. Rural Appraisal: Rapid, Relaxed and Participatory (IDS Discussion Papers 311). Institute of Development Studies, London.
Chopra, R.N., Nayar, S.L., Chopra, I.C., 1980. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants, vol. 191. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, pp. 258.
Deeba, F., 2009. Documentation of Ethnoveterinary Practices in Urban and Peri-urban Areas of Faisalabad Pakistan. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Fard, F.A., Zahrani, S.T., Bagheban, A.A., Mojab, F., 2015. Therapeutic effects of Nigella sativa Linn (black cumin) on Candida albicans vaginitis. Arch. Clin. Infect. Dis. 10, https://doi.org/10.5812/archcid.22991.
Ghorbani, A., Langenberger, G., Feng, L., Sauerborn, J., 2011. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants utilized by Hani ethnicity in Naban river watershed national nature reserve, Yunnan China. J. Ethnopharmacol. 134, 651–667.
Hao, X.M., Yang, Y., An, L.X., Wang, J.M., Han, L., 2014. Study on antibacterial mechanism of hemp fiber. Adv. Mater. Res. 887, 610–613.
Huntington, H.P., 2000. Using traditional ecological knowledge in science: methods and applications. Ecol. Appl. 10, 1270–1274.
Hussain, M., Shah, G.M., Khan, M.A., 2006. Traditional medicinal and economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan valley, Pakistan. Ethnobot. Leaflets 10, 72–81.
Iqbal, M.S., Qureshi, A.S., Ghafoor, A., 2010. Evaluation of Nigella sativa L. for genetic variation and ex-situ conservation. Pak. J. Bot. 42, 2489–2495.
Jabeen, Q., Aslam, N., 2011. The pharmacological activities of prunes: the dried plums. J. Med. Plants Res. 5, 1508–1511.
Kabiruddin, M., Makhzan-ul-Mufradat, 1955. Nadeem University Printers, Lahore, pp. 75–76.
Kaingu, C.K., Oduma, J.A., Kanui, T.I., 2011. Practices of traditional birth attendants in Machakos District Kenya. J. Ethnopharmacol. 137, 495–502.
Kala, C.P., 2005. Ethnomedicinal botany of the Apatani in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 1, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-1-11.
Kanter, M., 2008. Effects of Nigella sativa and its major constituent, thymoquinone on sciatic nerves in experimental diabetic neuropathy. Neurochem. Res. 33, 87–96.
Karampoor, P., Azarnia, M., Mirabolghasemi, G., Alizadeh, F., 2014. The effect of hydroalcoholic extract of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed on serum levels of sexual hormones in female Wistar rats with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Arak Med. Univ. J. 17 (5), 70–78.
Khan, B.A., Wang, J., Warner, P., Wang, H., 2015b. Antibacterial properties of hemp hurd powder against E. coli. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 132, https://doi.org/10.1002/app.41588.
Khan, N., Ahmed, M., Ahmed, A., Shaukat, S.S., Wahab, M., Ajaib, M., Siddiqui, M.F., Nasir, M., 2011. Important medicinal plants of Chitral Gol National Park(CGNP) Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot. 43, 797–809.
Khan, R.U., Mehmood, S., Muhammad, A., Mussarat, S., Khan, S.U., 2015a. Medicinal plants from Flora of Bannu used traditionally by North West Pakistan’s women to cure gynecological disorders. Am. Eur. J. Agric. Environ. Sci. 15, 553–559.
Khare, C.P., 2007. Indian Medicinal Plants — An Illustrated Dictionary. 1st Indian Reprint Springer (India) Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, India, pp. 28.
Khorshidi, N., Ostad, S.N., Mosaddegh, M., Soodi, M., 2010. Clinical effects of fennel essential oil on primary dysmenorrhea. Iran. J. Pharm. Res. 2, 89–93.
Lawal, I., Amao, A., Lawal, K., Alamu, T., Sowunmi, I.L., 2013. Phytotherapy approach for the treatment of gynaecological disorder among women in Ido Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. J. Adv. Sci. Res. 4, 41–44.
Lepcha, S.R., Das, A.P., 2011. Ethno-medico-botanical exploration along the international borders to Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the kingdom of Bhutan with special reference to the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary, East Sikkim. In: Gosh, C., Das, A.P. (Eds.), Recent Studies in Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge in India., pp. 257–270.
Mahmood, A., Rashid, S., Malik, R.N., 2013. Determination of toxic heavy metals in indigenous medicinal plants used in Rawalpindi and Islamabad cities, Pakistan. J. Ethnopharmacol. 148, 158–164.
Mariäa, I.G., Francisco, A.T., Betty, H.P., Adel, A.K., 2002. Antioxidant capacities, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and vitamin C contents of nectarine, peach, and plum cultivars from California. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 50, 4976–4982.
Maroyi, A., 2013. Traditional use of medicinal plants in south-central Zimbabwe: review and perspectives. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 9, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-31.
Mehta, S., Soni, N., Satpathy, G., Gupta, R.K., 2014. Evaluation of nutritional, phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of dried plum (Prunus domestica). J. Pharmacogn. Phytochem. 3, 166–171.
Miller, E.C., Swanson, A.B., Phillips, D.H., Fletcher, L., Liem, A., Miller, J.A., 1983. Structure-activity studies of the carcinogenicities in the mouse and rat of some naturally occurring and synthetic alkenyl benzene derivatives related to safrole and estragole. Cancer Res. 43, 1124–1134.
Mills, S., Bone, K., 2000. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. Modern Herbal Medicine. Churchill Livingstone.
Monika, Kour, N., Kaur, M., 2014. Antimicrobial analysis of leaves of Cannabis sativa. J. Sci. 4, 123–127.
Moshi, M.J., Otieno, D.F., Weisheit, A., 2012. Ethnomedicine of the Kagera Region, North Western Tanzania. Part 3: Plants used in traditional medicine in Kikuku village Muleba District. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 8, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-8-14.
Murad, W., Azizullah, A., Adnan, M., Tariq, A., Khan, K.U., Waheed, S., Ahmad, A., 2013. Ethnobotanical assessment of plant resources of Banda Daud Shah, District Karak Pakistan. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 9, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-77.
Musa, M.S., Abdelrasool, F.E., Elsheikh, E.A., Ahmed, LA, Mahmoud, A.L.E., Yagi, S.M., 2011. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in the Blue Nile State Southeastern Sudan. J. Med. Plants Res. 5, 4287–4297.
Muthu, C., Ayyanar, M., Raja, N., Ignacimuthu, S., 2006. Medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District of Tamil Nadu India. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 2, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-2-43.
Nadkarni, A.K., 1982. Indian Materia Medica, 3rd ed. Popular Prakashan.
Nasir, E., Ali, S.I., 1971-1991. Flora of west Pakistan, Tech. Rep. 1-190. Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Nordeng, H., Havnen, G.C., 2005. Impact of socio demographic factors, knowledge and attitude on the use of herbal drugs in pregnancy. Acta Obstet. Gynecol. Scand. 84, 26–33.
Oyedemi, S.O., Okoh, A.I., Mabinya, L.V., Pirochenva, G., Afolayan, A.J., 2009. The proposed mechanism of bactericidal action of eugenol, a-terpineol and ß-terpinene against Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus pyogenes, Proteus vulgaris and Escherichia coli. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 8, 1280–1286.
Padal, S.B., Vijayakumar, Y., Butchi, R.J., Chandrasekhar, P., 2013. Ethnomedicinal uses of Shrub species by Tribals of Borra Panchayat, Ananthagiri Mandalam, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Invent. 2, 10–12.
Paini, A., Punt, A., Viton, F., Scholz, G., Delatour, T., Marin-Kuan, M., Schilter, B., van Bladeren, P.J., Rietjens, I.M., 2010. A physiologically based biodynamic (PBBD) model for estragole DNA binding in rat liver based on in vitro kinetic data and estragole DNA adduct formation in primary hepatocytes Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 245, 57–66.
Phillips, O., Gentry, A.H., 1993. The useful plants of Tambopata Peru: I. Statistical hypotheses tests with a new quantitative technique. Econ. Bot. 47, 15–32.
Prakash, D., Upadhyay, G., Gupta, C., 2013. Total phenol and antioxidant activity of some fruits and their under-utilized parts. Int. Food Res. 20, 1717–1724.
Qaiser, J., Naveed, A., 2011. The pharmacological activities of prunes: the dried plums. J. Med. Plant Res. 5, 1511–4508.
Qureshi, R.A., Ghufran, M.A., Gilani, S.A., Yousaf, Z., Abbas, G., Batool, A., 2009. Indigenous medicinal plants used by local women in southern Himalayan regions of Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot. 41, 19–25.
Randrianarivelo, R., Sarter, S., Odoux, E., Brat, P., Lebrun, M., Romestand, B., Menut, C., Andrianoelisoa, H.S., Raherimandimby, M., Danthu, P., 2009. Composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Cinnamosma fragrans. Food Chem. 114, 680–684.
Rather, M.A., Dar, B.A., Sofi, S.N., Bhat, B.A., Qurishi, M.A., 2012. Foeniculum vulgare: a comprehensive review of its traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety. Arab. J. Chem., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2012.04.011.
Rekka, R., Murugesh, S., Prabakaran, R., Tiruchengode, N.D., 2013. Plants used by Malayali tribes in ethnogynaecological disorders in Yercaud Hills, Southern Eastern Ghats Salem District, Tamil Nadu. Sci. Res. Rep. 3, 190–192.
Ridvan, P., Ugur, C., Kaan, K., Denizhan, U.M., Zafer, T., 2015. An ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants in Espiye and its surrounding (Giresun-Turkey). J. Ethnopharmacol. 163, 1–11.
Sadeghi, Z., Mahmood, A., 2014. Ethno-gynecological knowledge of medicinal plants used by Baluch tribes, southeast of Baluchistan, Iran. J. Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 24, 706–715.
Saleh, S., 2006. Protection by Nigella sativa (Black seed) against hyperhomo-cysteinemia in rats vascular disease. Preventia 3, 73–78.
Sharma, P., Malhotra, C., Taneja, D.K., Saha, R., 2008. Problems related to menstruation amongst adolescent girls. Indian J. Pediatr. 75, 125–129.
Sher, H., Aldosari, A., Ali, A., de Boer, HJ., 2015. Indigenous knowledge of folk medicines among tribal minorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwestern Pakistan. J. Ethnopharmacol. 166, 157–167.
Sher, H., Bussmann, R.W., Hart, R., de Boer, H.J., 2016. Traditional use of medicinal plants among Kalasha, Ismaeli and Sunni groups in Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pakistan. J. Ethnopharmacol. 188, 57–69.
Srinivasan, D., Nathan, S., Suresh, T., Perumalsamy, P.L., 2001. Antimicrobial activity of certain Indian medicinal plants used in folkloric medicine. J. Ethnopharmacol. 74, 217–220.
Tareen, R.B., Bibi, T., Khan, M.A., Ahmad, M., Zafar, M., 2010. Indigenous knowledge of folk medicine by the women of Kalat and Khuzdar regions of Balochistan, Pakistan. Pakistan J. Bot. 42, 1465–1485.
Tolossa, K., Debela, E., Athanasiadou, S., Tolera, A., Ganga, G., Houdijk, J.G., 2013. Ethnomedicinal study of plants used for treatment of human and livestock ailments by traditional healers in South Omo Southern Ethiopia. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 9, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-32.
Trotter, R., Logan, M., 1986. Informant consensus: new approach for identifying potentially effective medicinal plants. In: Etkin, N.L. (Ed.), Indigenous Medicine and Diet: Behavioral Approaches. Redgrave Publishers, New York, pp. 91–112.
Tugume, P., Kakudidi, E.K., Buyinza, M., Namaalwa, J., Kamatenesi, M., Mucunguzi, P., Kalema, J., 2016. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plant species used by communities around Mabira Central Forest Reserve Uganda. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 12, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0077-4.
Umadevi, M., Rajeswari, R., Rahale, CS., Selvavenkadesh, S., Pushpa, R., Kumar, K.S., Bhowmik, D., 2012. Traditional and medicinal uses of Withaniasomnifera. Pharm. Innov. 1, 102–110.
van Andel, T., de Boer, HJ., Barnes, J., Vandebroek, I., 2014. Medicinal plants used for menstrual disorders in Latin America, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia and their uterine properties, a review. J. Ethnopharmacol. 155, 992–1000.
Verma, A.K., Kumar, M., Bussmann, R.W., 2007. Medicinal plants in an urban environment: the medicinal flora of Banares Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 3, https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-3-35.
Yamamoto, K., Okazaki, A., Sakamoto, Y., Funatsu, M., 2009. The relationship between premenstrual symptoms, menstrual pain, irregular menstrual cycles, and psychosocial stress among Japanese college students. J. Physiol. Anthropol. 28, 129–136.
Zonyane, S., Van Vuuren, S.F., Makunga, N.P., 2012. Pharmacological and phytochemical analysis of a medicinal plant mixture that is used as a traditional medicine in Western Cape. In: Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the South African Association of Botanist, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, January, p. 124.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Author contribution
AHK and HU collected the data. MAA and AHK wrote the draft manuscript. HU helped in the compilation of data. During revision stages, AH and EFAA contributed significantly and MA and MAA supervised all stages of this research study. MA gave technical comments on the draft manuscript and indicated grammatical and language mistakes. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Rights and permissions
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Aziz, M.A., Khan, A.H., Ullah, H. et al. Traditional phytomedicines for gynecological problems used by tribal communities of Mohmand Agency near the Pak-Afghan border area. Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 28, 503–511 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2018.05.003
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2018.05.003