The mountainous region of Kashmir is a biodiversity hotspot, with diverse local communities and a rich cultural history linked to nature. Mountain ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change. This study emphasises the need to record the indigenous ethnoecological knowledge of wild plants used for the treatment of various ailments at higher elevations in remote areas where globalisation poses a threat to this traditional knowledge. The field survey was carried out in 2020–2022, to collect data on wild medicinal plants. Informants were selected randomly to collect indigenous medicinal knowledge using semi-structured interviews and group discussions. Various quantitative indices were employed to evaluate ethnomedicinal data. A total of 110 medicinal plants belonging to 49 families were recorded in the study area. These medicinal plants are extensively used by local communities for the treatment of 20 major disease categories. Asteraceae was the dominant family contributing (9.09%) to medicinal plants, followed by Polygonaceae (8.18%), Apiaceae (7.27%), Lamiaceae (5.45%), and Ranunculaceae (5.45%). We observed 166 remedies were used for the treatment of various diseases in humans, and 9 remedies were used for animals. The most frequently used medicinal remedy was tea or decoction (30.91%). Among the medicinal plants, herbs (85.5%) were most frequently used by the local populations of Kashmir, whereas leaves (10.26%) were used for the treatment of various ailments. Out of 110 species, 31 were endemic, 15 of which are endemic to the Kashmir region and 16 to the Western Himalaya. The highest RFC value was reported for Allium humile (0.77), the highest UV value for Fritillaria cirrhosa (1.33), and the highest ICF value for gastro-intestinal/digestive disorders (0.85). Local communities still rely on wild medicinal plants for primary healthcare. These communities retained valuable indigenous knowledge, which needs to be preserved for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of natural resources. Further field exploration is required to fully explore indigenous knowledge in the mountainous regions of Kashmir, and this knowledge has the potential to support the ongoing ecological transition.

中文翻译：

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克什米尔喜马拉雅西部地区的当地药用植物知识：通过以社区为中心的健康寻求策略促进生态转型的方法

克什米尔山区是生物多样性热点地区，拥有多元化的当地社区和与自然相关的丰富文化历史。山区生态系统极易受到气候变化的影响。这项研究强调需要记录偏远地区高海拔地区用于治疗各种疾病的野生植物的本土民族生态学知识，在这些地区，全球化对这些传统知识构成了威胁。野外调查于2020-2022年进行，收集野生药用植物的数据。随机选择知情人，通过半结构化访谈和小组讨论来收集本土医学知识。采用各种定量指标来评估民族医学数据。研究区共记录药用植物49科110种。这些药用植物被当地社区广泛用于治疗 20 种主要疾病。药用植物中菊科占主导地位（9.09%），其次是蓼科（8.18%）、伞形科（7.27%）、唇形科（5.45%）和毛茛科（5.45%）。我们观察到166种药物用于治疗人类的各种疾病，9种药物用于动物。最常用的药物是茶或汤剂（30.91%）。在药用植物中，克什米尔当地人最常使用草药（85.5%），而叶子（10.26%）则用于治疗各种疾病。在 110 个物种中，31 个是特有物种，其中 15 个是克什米尔地区特有的，16 个是西喜马拉雅地区特有的。据报道，最高的 RFC 值是葱 (0.77)，最高的 UV 值是川贝母 (1.33)，最高的 ICF 值是胃肠/消化系统疾病 (0.85)。当地社区仍然依赖野生药用植物进行初级医疗保健。这些社区保留了宝贵的本土知识，需要保护这些知识以保护和可持续利用自然资源。需要进一步的实地探索，以充分探索克什米尔山区的本土知识，这些知识有可能支持正在进行的生态转型。