Ethnobotanical studies of potential wild medicinal plants of Ormara, Gawadar, Pakistan

The study was aimed to document the medicinal plants and their traditional uses in the Omara, Gawadar, Pakistan during 2008-2010. The ecosystem of Makran coast is rich in important medicinal plant wealth. These plants are not only used as herbal drugs but also a source of food, fodder and spices. The climate of Omara is dry, hot arid. Data were collected through direct observations during comprehensively field surveys, questionnaires and interviews of local inhabitants and herbal practitioners. A total of 31 potential medicinal plants belonging to 21 families were identified, traditionally used for remedial measures against special diseases. The inventory of medicinal plants showed family Chenopodiacae dominating other plant families. Out of total documented species in this area 45% were in the use of local communities as medicine in one or other form. Among the rest, 26% plants have multiple uses and the remaining are utilized as fodder (29%). Indigenous people use various parts of the plant for curing different ailments. As no specific ethnobotanical data are available for such plants in this area, the present work was taken up for the documentation and analysis of traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used by coastal communities. It also determines the homogeneity of information collected on medicinal plants apt for the treatment of different ailments in the study area