Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants of Semi-Tribal Area of Makerwal &Gulla Khel (Lying between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab Provinces), Pakistan

This paper is based on the results of an ethnomedicinal research work conducted in the semi-tribal mountainous area lying between District Mianwali (PunjabProvince) and District Karak (KhyberPakhtunkhwaProvince),Pakistanduring June 2009-July 2011. During field survey, questionnaires were used to interview the local inhabitants of the area. The ethnomedicinal data consists of 131 plant species (2 Pteridophytes, 7 Monocots, 122 Dicots) belonging to 48 families (2 Pteridophytes, 4 Monocots, 42 Dicots). The most commonly represented families were Amaranthaceae (9 spp.), Mimosaceae (8 spp.), Asteraceae and Papilionaceae (7 spp.) each;Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Scrophulariaceae (6 spp.) each, followed by Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Lamiaceae and Polygonaceae (5 spp.) each. Plant specimens were identified, preserved and vouchers were deposited in the Plant Taxonomy Lab. of Department of Biological Sciences,University of Sargodha,Pakistanfor future reference. The data collected through interviews with the local people indicates that these species are mostly used in respiratory tract infections (RTI), urinary tract infections (UTI), digestive disorders, sexual problems, skin diseases, liver ailments, wound healing, blood vomiting, malaria, piles, epilepsy, jaundice, gummosis, round worms, hepatitis etc. in the area. Due to lack of scientific approach regarding harvesting and utilization of this valuable medicinal flora, many plants are quickly going towards extinction;therefore, further work is needed to create awareness in the community conservation of the precious medicinal plants.

Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Paleocene Coal from the Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel Coalfields of Pakistan

Pakistan is rich in coal resources,which amount to around 186 billion tons.The Paleocene Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel coalfields are located in the Central Salt Range Punjab Province and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,Pakistan,respectively.Padhrar coal has not been studied in detail and the Darra Adam Khel coalfields are newlydiscovered,so no research has been done,due to security considerations.In this study,an attempt has been made to study the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of the Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel coals,in order to learn about the coal quality,element enrichment mechanism,sedimentary medium conditions and potentially valuable elements for coal utilization.The Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel coals are low to medium ash,low moisture content,high in volatiles and high total sulfur coal.The vitrinite reflectance in Darra Adam Khel coal is higher than in Padhrar coal,indicating either a greater burial depth or the effects of Himalayan tectonism.The vitrinite content is dominant in the Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel coals,followed by inertinite and liptinite,the major minerals including quartz,clay minerals,calcite and pyrite.The trace elements Ni,As,Be Zn,Ge,Mo,Ta,W,Co and Nb,Sn,Hf,Ta,Pb,Th,Cd,In,Be,V,Cr,Zr,Ag,Li,W and Co are concentrated in some of the Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel coal samples,respectively.The Padhrar coal shows positive Ce,Eu and Gd anomalies,with most of the Darra Adam Khel coal showing negative Ce,Eu and positive Gd anomalies with high LREE.The Al2O3/TiO2 values indicate that the sediment source of the Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel coals is mostly related to intermediate igneous rocks.The Sr/Ba,SiO2+Al2O3,Fe2O3+CaO+MgO/SiO2+Al2O3 and high sulfur content in the Padhrar and Darra Adam Khel coals indicate epithermal and marine water influence with a tidal flat,coal-forming environment and a deltaic coal-forming environment,respectively.