Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants traditionally used in Daulat Nagar, Punjab, Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge remains a vital healthcare resource, especially in rural areas of Pakistan. However, rapid modernization and the migration of younger generations threaten the preservation of this indigenous heritage, creating a critical gap for documentation in unexplored regions. While numerous studies exist across Pakistan, the unique floristic diversity of Daulat Nagar situated between the Jhelum and Chenab Rivers, needs to be documented. METHODS: Field surveys were conducted across five villages in Daulat Nagar, using purposive and snowball sampling to interview 416 respondents through structured and semi-structured forms. Quantitative indices, including Use Value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity Level (FL) were employed to determine the medicinal importance of documented species. Cultural uniqueness and knowledge retention were evaluated using Jaccard's Similarity Index (JSI) and Novelty Percentage (NP). RESULTS: A total of 64 plant species from 31 families were documented during this study. The results revealed that herbs (59%) and leaves (35%) were the most utilized for local preparations, primarily through juice or extract. Pluchea ovalis showed the highest Use Value (UV = 1.01), mainly used for respiratory disorders. Curcuma longa had the highest RFC (0.055) used in skin problems. Gastrointestinal disorders showed the highest consensus (ICF = 0.46). Mentha arvensis and Azadirachta indica had highest FL 96.5% and 91.6%, respectively. Analysis of intergenerational retention revealed that youth (18-28 years) comprised 16.11% of the current study, but ethnobotanical knowledge mainly for complex and specialized treatments was held by the elders aged 49-78 years. Comparative analysis indicated low similarity with other regions (JSI = 4.81 to 37.5%) and high NP values (87.5%), indicating significant novelty, such as the use of Echinochloa crus-galli in diabetes and Phragmites karka for urinary infections. CONCLUSION: The study confirms that Daulat Nagar possesses a distinct ethnobotanical identity. While home remedies are successfully shared across generations, specialized therapeutic wisdom is concentrated among elders (49-78 years) with 42% retention rate. These findings provide a baseline for drug discovery and underscore the urgent need for conservation strategies to preserve specialized knowledge.