Ethnobotanical survey on plants in Pashang village, Gonabad (Khorasan Razavi, Iran)

Abstract

Background: Documentation, preservation, and revival of information on how to use the medicinal plants, are among the leading research priorities in Khorasan with its long history. Objectives: This research aimed to document the wild medicinal plants and their uses in traditional herbal therapies among the Pashang ethnic group. Methods: Ethnopharmacological field studies were conducted during 2020-2021 in a 2000-year-old village near Gonabad. The herbal plants were collected, identified and prepared as voucher specimens, and data gathering was conducted based on face to face interviews with 80 well-known traditional herbalists and local elder people. Details of plants, part(s) used, and remedy formulations were elicited from informants. Results: A total of 50 species including medicinal and non-medicinal plants belonging to 25 families were identified. Lamiaceae, Asteraceae and Apiaceae with six species had the highest frequencies. These herbal plants have long been used for gastrointestinal (19 species), cold (9 species) and hematological (6 species). The most used parts of the plants were the arial parts with 28%, flower 18%, seed 14% and fruit 12%. Conclusion: Due to the long history in the use of medicinal plants, the present study helps introduce the valuable plant species, guide on how to use them, and preserve the local medical knowledge.