Flora of Pakistan: An ethnopharmacological perspective

Farhan Shahid; Rabbia Shahid; Tanya Waseem; Shabab Hussain

doi:10.32593/jstmu/Vol3.Iss1.79

Farhan Shahid Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Rabbia Shahid Department of Biochemistry, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tanya Waseem Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Shabab Hussain Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32593/jstmu/Vol3.Iss1.79

Keywords: Ethanopharmacology, therapy, phytochemical, complementary and alternate medicine

Abstract

Ethnopharmacology relies on the knowledge and use of traditional medicinal plants in various human diseases. These plants are a source of nutritional, medicinal and financial support to a greater part of Pakistani population, both in rural and urban setting. Either in the crude form or prepared pharmaceutical formulations, these plants are considered an essential part of the health-care and support system. Being regulated mainly as a part of the Complementary and Alternate Medicine, the plants and their products are used for the treatment of ailments of different organ systems. Their applications vary from being used as tonics, protectants and aids to being used as cytotoxic and antibacterial agents. Pakistan has a variety of biogeographical components which serves as a rich source of medicinal plants. With a deep-rooted history of Unani and Ayurvedic systems in Pakistan, the empirical knowledge about these plants has passed from one generation to the next. Some of these have also been recorded in the historical books of medicine and the components derived from them, now form an essential part of the modern-day pharmaceutical industry. This review provides the information of the flora of medicinal importance acquired from the various parts of Pakistan. The detailed information will help the researchers to develop an understanding about the biological activity and efficacy of phytochemical present in these plants.

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