Quantitative assessment of the ethnomedicinal knowledge of wild plants used to treat human ailments

Medicinal plants have played an essential role in human health for generations. In District Multan, traditional knowledge about these plants provides a rich resource, yet it remains largely undocumented and may be in danger of fading with younger generations. This study aimed to document the medicinal plant knowledge in District Multan examining the diversity of plants used, methods of preparation, parts utilized and the relationship between plants and ailments with insights from diverse methodologies like interviews and observations. Among the 339 participants, 75% were male, with those aged 51–60 years having a profound knowledge of herbal practices suggesting a decline in the passing down of this knowledge. A significant wild plant diversity was evident, with 14 distinct plant families found, Solanaceae being predominant. Of the studied categorized plants, herbs emerged as the most prevalent (59%). Decoction emerged as the primary preparation method (24%). Leaves were the most commonly used plant part attributed to their medicinal potency (34%). Ethno-medicinal analysis yielded a high informant consensus factor (ICF), marking the correlation between plants and ailments. Use value (UV) highlighted plants like Cynodon dactylon and Albizia lebbeck with the most frequent use while fidelity level (FL) indicated the consistent usage of specific plants for ailments. The Jaccard index (JI) displayed variability in plant utilization across communities. Notably, this study revealed eight new ethnobotanical applications for seven plants, strengthening the significance of traditional medicinal knowledge. Such findings highlight the importance of preserving and documenting traditional herbal wisdom for holistic human health and well-being.