MINGORA: Despite availability of modern medicines and latest medical equipment in the market, elderly people in Swat still rely on indigenous medicinal plants and herbs for treatment of different ailments.

They say that indigenous medicinal plants are cheaper than the modern medicines and also have no side effect.

Hundreds of families are associated with the business of traditional medicinal herbs and plants as they collect the plants from forests and sell the same in the market.

Hundreds of families earn livelihood by collecting plants from forests and selling at market

“Though ratio of customers has decreased but still many people come to me to buy medicinal herbs and shrubs. Majority of the elderly people are my customers as they believe in the effects of these hurbs,” says Akbar Khan, a vendor of traditional medicinal plants at Mingora Bazaar.

He says that he has been selling medicinal plants for the last 20 years to earn livelihood for his family.

“These traditional medicinal plants are cheaper but more effective that’s why people come and buy these from me,” he adds.

Among hundreds of medicinal plants Mr Khan has Gujai, Skha Waja, Spairkai, Kwaray, Sumbal, Khwaga Bootei, Marjarai, Qamar Panra, Zair Gulae, Asmani Bootai, Villanay, Kaga, Mamaikh, Jabai, Mushk-i-Bala, Banafsha, Marvandaey, Kachmachu, Warkharay, Nazarpanra and many more.

Many customers, mostly elderly people, who buy medicinal plants from Mr Khan, say that they regularly use these plants for different ailments.

“I don’t buy modern and expensive medicines but come here and buy traditional medicinal plants for different diseases. Today, I bought Skha Waja (Araceae) as my wife suffers from diarrhoea. This plant works well in diarrhoea and we have been using it since long,” says Ajab Khan, an elderly man from Panr area.

According to a research article titled, ‘Traditional uses of some medicinal plants of Swat valley’, by Mohammad Hamayun, a PhD scholar in plant science, the district has more than 1,550 taxa of flowering plants and 55 Pteridophytes.

The number of medicinal plants varies from 55 to 345 species in Swat.

The market survey reveals that only 52 medicinal plants are sold in the market as well as used in homes for curing different diseases.

“The flora of Swat is very diverse and unique as the area is adjacent to the meeting point of three big mountain ranges -- Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalayas,” the article adds.

However, the report says that the population of medicinal plants has considerably decreased over past 15 to 20 years and the prime reasons are increased dependency of locals on medicinal plants marketing, lack of job opportunities, non-sustainable harvesting methods like digging of whole plant and increased deforestation.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2017