Application of Ethnobotanical Indices on the Use of Traditional Medicines against Common Diseases

Table 1

Medicinal plants and their preparation methods and administration.

Scientific names	Local names	Families	Habit	Part used	Medicinal uses	Herbal formulation	Administration	Dosage
Acacia modesta Wall.	Palosa	Mimosaceae	Tree	Gum, leaves	Backache	Gum and powder of fresh leaves of Acacia modesta are mixed with wheat flour and desi ghee and make Halwa that is used for backache.	Oral	As needed
Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile	Kikar	Mimosaceae	Tree	Whole plant	Narcotic	Extraction of fresh root and leaves are taken as alcohol (Sharab).	Oral	As needed
					Aphrodisiac	Four grams of gum is taken as paste with water.	Oral	Once a day
					Earache	About 30 flowers are heated in 10 mL mustard oil and filtered.	Through ear	Two to four drops for 5 days
Allium cepa L.	Pyaaz	Alliaceae	Herb	Leaves	Antipyretic	Equal amount of extract of onion bulb and mint are mixed and used against cholera.	Oral	One teaspoon of this mixture is taken per hour for a period as needed.
					Skin infection	Poultice of onion bulb is used against abscesses.	Topical	Two times a day for one week
Allium sativum Linn.	Ugga	Alliaceae	Herb	Leaves, roots	Blood disorders	Small pieces of Allium sativum are chewed to reduce blood pressure.	Oral	Twice a day
					Gastrointestinal	The powder of leaves and roots are also used against stomach problems.	Oral	As needed
Aloe barbadensis Mill.	Zarpati	Aloeaceae	Herb	Leaves	Veterinary (gastrointestinal)	Two leaves are made spineless and each one is divided lengthwise into 2 or 3 slices. These slices of leaves along with common salt are given to the animals for stomach disorders.	Oral	Three doses after every 48 hours period
Amaranthus viridis L.	Sarkoomal.	Amaranthaceae	Herb	Leaves	Gastrointestinal	Leaves are crushed with sugar and taken along with black tea for curing constipation.	Oral	Four times a day
					Skin infection	Poultice of leaf is prepared along with mustard oil for the treatment of abscesses.	Topical	As needed
Anagallis arvensis L.	Dhabbar	Primulaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Rheumatism	The whole plant is crushed into powder after drying. Two gm of the powder with 5 gm of wheat flour is mixed for the treatment of rheumatism.	Oral	Once a day for a week
Cannabis sativa L.	Bhaang	Cannabaceae	Herb	Leaves, flowering tops, and seed	Narcotic	The fruit and leaves are used as narcotic, commonly called “Charas.”	Oral	As needed
					Veterinary	The decoction of seeds is given to cattle for increasing milk.	Oral	As needed
Caralluma tuberculata R.Br	Pawany	Asclepiadaceae	Shrub	Whole plant	Antidiabetic and anticancer	Whole plant is dried, powdered, and taken with water. Fresh plant is directly eaten by diabetic patient and is very effective in cancer treatment as well.	Oral	Once a day
Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.	Chum bud	Cuscutaceae.	Herb	Stem and seeds	Wound	A paste of the plant powder in butter is prepared and is externally applied for wounds.	Topical	As needed
					Skin infection	The whole plant is crushed and then boiled in 8 liters of water for an hour. It is filtered and the patient is advised to take a bath with this decoction without using soap for scabies.	Topical	As needed
Carthamus oxycantha Co.Cr.	Spena zagai	Asteraceae	Herb	Seed oil	Jaundice	Seeds are collected, dried under shade, and ground to obtain powder and taken to treat jaundice.	Oral	1 teaspoon of powder is taken twice a day for 3-4 weeks
					Skin infection	Few drops of honey are added in seed powder to make paste. This paste is applied on the face. It is effective to remove white spots of skin.	Topical	As needed
Citrus sinensis	Malta	Rutaceae	Shrub	Fruit, leaves	Gastrointestinal	Fruit is eaten for reducing constipation.	Oral	2 fruits per day
Cynodon dactylonvar. coursii (A. Camus); J.R. Harlan and de Wet	Wakha	Poaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Wounds	The paste made of fresh leaves is applied on cuts and bleeding wounds.	Topical	As needed
					Piles	Same as above	Topical	As needed
					Gastrointestinal	Juice of the plant is given in diarrhea.	Oral	Twice a day
					Antipyretic	Same as above	Oral	Twice a day
Dalbergia sissoo DC.	Shawa	Papilionaceae	Tree	Whole plant	Piles	70 gm of young leaves of buds are crushed. One glass of water is added to it and strained. The strained decoction is taken daily.	Oral	Taken daily for 10 days
					Jaundice	Same as above	Oral	Taken daily for 10 days
Datura stramonium L.	Tora torii.	Solanaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Earache	The juice of flower is useful for earache.	Oral	As needed
					Narcotic	Seeds and leaves are smoked for their narcotic action.	Oral	As needed
Dicliptera bupleuroides Nees.	Somni	Acanthaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Skin infection	Poultice is used for scabies.	Topical	Once a day
Digera muricata (L.) Mart.	Tandola	Amaranthaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Gastrointestinal	Juice is extracted from the whole plants and used as laxative.	Oral	As needed
Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacquin	Zetawoni	Sapindaceae	Shrub	Leaves	Rheumatism	The leaves are warmed and kept on joints to relieve pains.	Topical	Once a day
Eriobotrya japanica (Thunb.) Lindl.	Lokat	Rosaceae	Tree	Fruit	Chest problems	Fruit is taken directly to treat cough.	Oral	As needed
Eucalyptus lanceolatus Dehnh.	Lachi	Myrtaceae	Tree	Whole plant	Gastrointestinal	Leaves and bark are boiled in water. Filtrate and decoction are used for abdominal pains. Fruit is added to green tea and taken as antiemetic.	Oral	Twice a day
Euphorbia helioscopia L.	Katta saarai	Euphorbiaceae	Herb	Leaves	Gastrointestinal	Mature leaves (5 g) are mixed with 3 spoonfuls of sugar to prepare recipe to treat constipation	Oral	Twice a day
Euphorbia hirta L.	Chapa tray.	Euphorbiaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Diabetes	Leaves juice is taken for diabetes	Oral	As needed
Fagonia indica Burm.f.	Mazgha Kai.	Zygophyllaceae.	Herb	Aerial parts	Blood purifier	Extract of aerial parts is used	Oral	Thrice a day
					Skin infection	Same as above	Topical	Thrice a day
					Diabetes	Same as above	Oral	Thrice a day
					Antipyretic	Half kg of the whole plant is boiled in 2 liters of water; patients with hepatitis are advised to take bath with this decoction.	Topical	Thrice a day
Ficus carica L.	Inzeer	Moraceae	Tree	Fruit	Piles	Two to four fruits are soaked in water or milk at night and used in the morning on empty stomach.	Oral	Daily for 10 days
Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem.	Rubber Plant	Moraceae	Tree	Leaves, Bark	Antipyretic	Leaves and bark are crushed and taken along honey in small quantity to reduce fever.	Oral	Once a day
Ficus religiosa L.	Peppal	Moraceae	Tree	Whole plant	Vomiting	Decoction of bark is used.	Oral	As needed
Foeniculum vulgare Mill.	Soonphf	Umbelliferae	Herb	Seeds and roots	Gastrointestinal	Take sonf with white zeera, grind it, and use after meal; it is good to remove ulcer and stomach pain	Oral	As needed
Fumaria indica (Hausskn.) Pugsley	Khatee soii.	Fumariaceae	Herb	Aerial parts	Blood purification	Two kg of aerial parts is dried under shade and crushed to obtain powder; 2-3 gm powder with one glass of water is taken.	Oral	Twice a day for one week
					Jaundice	Same as above	Oral	Twice a day for one week
					Gastrointestinal	Juice of fresh parts is used as laxative.	Oral	Once a day for four days
					Antipyretic	Juice of fresh parts is used to reduce fever.	Oral	Once a day for two days
Jasminum humile f.kensuense	Zeet chumbeli	Oleaceae	Shrub	Flower, root, and latex.	Skin infection	Flowers and roots are boiled to make paste and rub on skin for treating pimples.	Topical	Twice a day for one week
Jasminum officinale L.	Chumbeli	Oleaceae	Shrub	Whole plant.	Gastrointestinal	Decoction of leaves and roots are prepared and used as anthelmintic.	Oral	Once a day
					Kidney problems	Crushed leaves are mixed with flour and taken along water to treat kidney stones.	Oral	Twice a day for one month
Justicia adhatoda L	Shna Baza	Acanthaceae	Shrub	Leaves	Diabetes	Half kg of fresh leaves of this plant is extracted with 500 mL water and used against diabetes.	Oral	10 mL of extract is used twice a day
					Blood purification	Same as above	Oral	10 mL of extract is used twice a day
					Chest infection	Leaves and flowers are plucked, dried under shade, ground to obtain powder; 50 gm of this powder is mixed in 15 mL of honey.	Oral	Half teaspoon twice a day for 15 days
					Skin infection	Half kg leaves are boiled in 4 liters of water and decoction is used.	Oral	Twice a day
Lathyrus aphaca L.	Jee Wareen	Papilionaceae	Herb	Seed and flower	Skin infection	Decoction is used for skin problems.	Topical	As needed
Malva neglecta Wallr.	Panderak	Malvaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Kidney problems	Roots are taken and boiled in 2 glasses of water and after boiling when 1 glass of water remains, it is taken for kidney stones.	Oral	Once a day for 40 days
Melia azedarach L.	Tora Draka	Meliaceae	Tree	Whole plant	Diabetes	Powder of seeds is used.	Oral	As needed
					Gastrointestinal	Fruit is ground and its juice is mixed with oil and taken as anthelmintic.	Oral	As needed
Mentha arvensis L.	Podeena.	Lamiaceae.	Herb	Leaves	Gastrointestinal	70 gm dried leaves of wild mint and 30–40 gm of bishops’ weed are ground together and 10–12 gm of common salt is also added. It is used for gas problems and stomach pain.	Oral	Thrice a day after meal
					Vomiting	Tea of dried leaves is taken to stop vomiting.	Oral	As needed
Mentha longifolia L.	Venalai	Lamiaceae	Herb	Leaves	Gastrointestinal	Decoction of leaves is used as carminative.	Oral	As needed
Monotheca buxifolia (Falc.) A. DC.	Gorgola	Sapotaceae	Shrub	Fruit, stem	Skin infection	Poultice is used against skin infection.	Topical	As needed
Morus alba L.	Toot	Moraceae	Tree	Fruit, leaves	Gastrointestinal	Crushed leaves are taken along honey to treat diarrhea.	Oral	Twice a day
Morus nigra L.	Tor Toot	Moraceae	Tree	Fruit, leaves	Kidney problems	Fruit is directly eaten as diuretic.	Oral	Twice a day
Nannorrhops ritchiana. (Griff.) Aitch.	Mazzari	Arecaceae/Palmae	Shrub	Leaves	Gastrointestinal	Crushed leaves are used as carminative.	Oral	As needed
					Veterinary	Fresh leaves are given to animals as purgative.	Oral	As needed
Nerium oleander L.	Gand derai	Apocynaceae	Shrub	Leaves	Dental pain; Wound	The fresh leaves are washed and crushed, and then 3 cups of water are added. The filtrate is given to the patients suffering from dental pain.	Oral	Twice a day for 5 days
						Poultice of leaves is applied externally to reduce swelling.	Topical	Twice a day
Olea ferruginea (Sol.) Steud.	Kawwaan	Oleaceae.	Tree	Fruit, leaves,; seeds, and bark	Dental	Decoction is used for toothache.	Oral	The decoction of fresh leaves is kept in the mouth at night till recovery.
					Rheumatism	The oil extracted from the fruits is used as massage in the treatment of rheumatism.	Topical	As needed
					Skeletomuscular	Same as above	Topical	As needed
Otostegia limbata Benth.	Spin azghai	Lamiaceae	Shrub	Whole plant	Throat infection	50 gm fresh leaves are ground and 3-4 teaspoons of water are added to it. This mixture is filtered through a cloth and is given to the patient suffering from mouth gums and throat pains.	Oral	As needed
					Wound	Crushed leaves are applied for curing of wounds.	Topical	Once a day
Oxalis corniculata L.	Tokee pi.	Oxalidaceae	Herb	Leaves, root	Gastrointestinal	Juice of leaves and roots are used against stomach problem.	Oral	As needed
Peganum harmala L.	Spin nali	Zygophyllaceae	Herb	Seeds	Spiritual	The smoke from burning seeds and leaves is believed to be devil repellent and also used as protection against evil eyes.
Periploca aphylla Decne.	Barada	Periplocaceae	Shrub	Stem, bark, and latex.	Gastrointestinal	Branches and flower are dried under shade, ground to obtain powder, and taken along water for constipation and stomach ulcer.	Oral	2–4 gm of is powder twice a day
Phoenix dactylifera L.	Khajoor	Arecaceae	Tree	Fruit, leaves	Gastrointestinal	Take four dried khobani and three khajoor and keep it in milk and boil it. After cooling take it on an empty stomach with 1 teaspoon of isapagul; it is good for controlling constipation.	Oral	As needed
					Sex power	Same as above	Oral	As needed
Pinus roxburghii Sarg.	Nakthar	Pinaceae	Tree	All aerial	Dental	Juice is extracted from fresh leaves and bark by grinding. This is mixed with water and taken for toothache.	Oral	Twice a day before meal and at bed time
					Gastrointestinal	Similarly, the bark and leaves of Pinus are dried and crushed, and then the powder is dissolved in cold water and taken for diarrhea.	Oral	Twice a day before meal and at bed time
					Skin infection	Leaves of the plant are boiled and the extract is obtained and taken before meal as remedy for scabies.	Oral	As needed
Pistacia chinensis Bunge.	Shenai		Tree	Whole plant	Gastrointestinal	Powdered galls fried with ghee are given internally in dysentery.	Oral	Once a day
					Skin infections	The stem gum is added to the mustard oil, warmed, and mixed. The prepared poultice is then applied to the ruptured heels at night.	Topical	At night for once
Plantago lanceolata L.	Gwayo zhabe	Plantaginaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Dental	Leaves are crushed and kept in mouth to relieve toothache.	Oral	As needed
					Gastrointestinal	Seeds and fruits are drunk as purgative and laxative.	Oral	As needed
					Skin infections	Fresh leaves are crushed for athlete’s foot.	Topical	As needed
Plantanus orientalis L.	Chenar	Platanaceae	Tree	Whole plant	Gastrointestinal	The peel of the fruit is dried, soaked, and ground. The powder so formed, called “Narsaway,” is mixed in small quantity in a cup of curd and is used for dysentery.	Oral	Twice in a day till recovery for the treatment
Punica granatum L.	Anar	Punicaceae	Shrub	Fruit, bark	Gastrointestinal	The fruit pericarp is dried, powdered, mixed with sugar, and used for diarrhea and dysentery.	Oral	As needed
					Chest infections	The fruit pericarp is mixed with tea and is given for whooping cough.	Oral	As needed
					Blood purifier	Fruit is directly eaten.	Oral	As needed
Rumex dentatus L.	Reen zakai	Polygonaceae	Herb	Leaves	Sex enhancer	Decoction of leaves is used.	Oral	Once at night
					Skeletomuscular	Same as above	Oral	As needed
Ricinus communis L.	Raanda	Euphorbiaceae	Shrub	Seeds, leaf, bark,; and root.	Gastrointestinal	The small quantity of oil is rubbed on the abdomen, which is slowly and gradually absorbed through sweat glands to release constipation.	Topical	Twice a day for one day
Sageretia thea (Osbeck) M.C. Johnst.	Mamoti	Rhamnaceae	Shrub	Fruit, roots	Jaundice	The extraction of roots is used as cooling agent in jaundice.	Oral	Once a day
Saccharum spontaneum L.	Shaat	Poaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Chest infection	Juice of whole plants is mixed with milk for the treatment of cough.	Oral	Twice a day for two days
Solanum incanum L.	Tarkha Mowtngee	Solanaceae	Shrub	Leaves and roots	Kidney problems	Decoction of leaves and roots are used to break kidney stones.	Oral	As needed
Solanum villosum Miller.	Koot soab	Solanaceae	Herb	Whole plant	Kidney problems	Decoction of leaves and roots are used to break kidney stones.	Oral	As needed
Sonchus arvensis L.	Kroo Konai	Asteraceae	Herb	Whole plant	Wounds	The whole plant is crushed to form a paste. The paste is applied as a poultice on wounds and boils.	Topical	As needed
Silybummarianum (L.)	Azghai	Asteraceae	Herb	Leaves, seeds, and flowers head	Antipyretic; Jaundice; Liver problems	Seeds are collected, dried under shade, and roasted in vegetable oil. Roasted seeds are ground to obtain powder. This is used to treat hepatitis.	Oral	Half teaspoon of this powder is taken thrice a day for a month
						Same as above	Oral	Same as above
						Same as above	Oral	Same as above
Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg.		Asteraceae	Herb	Leaves, root	Jaundice	20–30 gm dried aerial parts are boiled in 1 liter of water for 15–20 min to which 15–20 gm sugar is added. This decoction is filtered and used against jaundice.	Oral	Half cup is given twice a day
					Diabetes	Half kg dried aerial parts are boiled in 2 liters water and decoction is filtered and used for diabetes.	Oral	One cup of this decoction is taken twice a day
Terminalia arjuna L.		Combretaceae	Tree	Bark, fruits, and leaves	Cardiovascular	Fruits and leaves are ground to make powder and mix with essential additives.	Oral	Once a day
Vitex negundo L.	Marmandi	Verbenaceae	Shrub	Leaves, root, stem, and seeds	Gastrointestinal	60 gm dried seeds of this plant, 30 gm Bishop’s weed, and 2-3 teaspoon of common salt are ground together to powder.	Oral	As needed
					Antipyretic	Same as above	Oral	As needed
					Jaundice	The decoction of leaves is used for jaundice.	Oral	As needed
					Kidney problem	The seeds are ground to obtain powder and are taken with water for kidney stone.	Oral	Half spoon once a day
Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal	Kapyanga	Solanaceae	Herb	Leaves, roots, and seeds	Kidney problems	The decoction of leaves is taken to break kidney stones.	Oral	As needed
Ziziphus mauritiana var. abyssinica (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Fiori	Bera	Rhamnaceae	Tree	Fruit, root, and leaves	Gastrointestinal	The decoction of fruit and bark is taken with a cup of milk to treat constipation and dysentery.	Oral	As needed
Ziziphus nummularia (Burm. f.) Wight and Arn.	Karkata	Rhamnaceae	Shrub	Fruit, leaves	Gastrointestinal	Powder of fruits and leaves are used to treat constipation.	Oral	Thrice a day for 2 days