Home > Exploration of Floral Diversity of District Kotli Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Evaluation of Ethnopharmacological Effects of Some Medicinal Plants of the Area
Exploration of Floral Diversity of District Kotli Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Evaluation of Ethnopharmacological Effects of Some Medicinal Plants of the Area
In the investigated area, District Kotli, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, a total of 401 plant species belonging to 104 families were recorded. Among these, single species of family Pinaceae represented gymnosperms, while rest of the plant species represented the dicot and monocot Angiosperms. Ethnobotanical survey of almost all the villages of District, Kotli was carried out by interviewing local people on the basis of random selection through a questionnaire during 2009-2011. People of this area had their distinct way of life, beliefs, traditions and the way of utilization of local plants for various purposes especially as medicinal plants over generations. Out of 401 plant species 209 (52.11%) were used as single-usage, 107 (26.68%) were two-usage, 68 (16.95%) were multi-usage and 17(4.23%) were plant species with no local human usage. The plants were photographed (Pl. 1-24), collected, properly pressed, mounted on the herbarium sheets, identified through taxonomic literature and deposited in Dr. Sultan Ahmed Herbarium, Department of Botany, GC University, Lahore as voucher specimens. The Phytosociological studies were carried out by using Quadrat method, of six Hill-sites viz; Dungi Mansuh Hills, Nakiyal Maira Hills, Sney Bney Hills, Sarsawa Hills, Darguti Hills and Rajdahni Hills. A total of 25 plant Communities were recognized as a whole in the area. It was noticed that Pinus roxburghii Sargent commonly called Chir was a dominant tree species along with a grass, Themeda anathera (Nees.ex Steud.) Hack. locally called Bahari Ghass in almost all 25 plant communities. The associated species were Olea ferruginea Royle and Acacia modesta Wall. along with Casearia tomentosa Roxb., Colebrookea oppositifolia Smith., Cotinus coggyria Scop., Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq., Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC., Erioscirpus comosus (Wall.) Palla, Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke, Mallotus philippensis (Lamk.) Muell. Arg., Micromeria biflora Benth., Otostegia limbata (Bth.) Bioss., Rubus fruticosus Hk., Trichodesma indica (L.) R. Br., Wendlandia exerta (Roxb.)DC. and Woodfordia fruiticosa (L.) S. Kurz. Some species needed protection and conservation due to their low I.V.I. such as. Engelhardtia colebrookeana Lindl., Eremostachys superba Royle ex.Benth., Gloriosa superba L., Helinus lanceolatus Wall. ex Brandis, Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz, Melhania futteyporensis Munro ex Masters, Onosma thomsonii C.B. Clarke and Prinsepia utilis Royle. Phytosociological data showed the degraded vegetation in the study area mainly due to over population by nomads. In order to verify ethnobotanical data on practical lines the ethnopharmacological effects, such as antimicrobial including MIC and antioxidant activities of the crude extracts of two dicot plants; viz. Helinus lanceolatus Wall. ex Brandis (bark and leaves) and Holmskioldia sanguinea ii Retz. (bark and leaves) and two monocot; viz. Iris aitchisonii (Bakar) Boiss. (whloe plant) and Notholirion thomsonianum (D.Don) Stapf (whole plant) were investigated using Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The maximum zone of inhibition was produced by aqueous extracts of Iris aitchisonii against Aspergillus niger (fungus) and methanolic extracts of Helinus lanceolatus against Escherichia coli with 57±1.0mm and 50±1.15mm respectively. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was most significant in Iris aitchisonii against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, i.e. 0.002μg/ml and 0.008mg/ml of Helinus lanceolatus against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa while 0.010mg/ml of methanolic extract of Holmskioldia sanguinea against Escherichia coli. The resistance of methanolic extract of Notholirion thomsonianum was found potent against S. aureus, i.e. 0.009 μg/ml. The significant IC50 values (concentration of sample required to scavenge 50% free radical) was observed in aqueous extract of Helinus lanceolatus, i.e.15.29± 0.59 as compared with BHT (standard antioxidant) which was 12.52.±0.89. It was observed that Petroleum ether extract of Iris aitchisonii has highest total antioxidant activity, i.e. 1.1820±0.33 followed by Petroleum ether extract of Holmskioldia sanguinea, i.e., 1.142±0.34. The Petroleum ether extract of Helinus lanceolatus showed highest FRAP value (90.66±4.54μg of trolox equivalent). Total phenolic compounds were highest in petroleum ether extract of Helinus lanceolatus, i.e. 56±1.91 mg/g followed by methanolic extract and petroleum ether extract of Notholirion thomsonianum, i.e. 47±0.59mg/g and 45±0.85mg/g respectively. The percentage of inhibition of lipid peroxidation was highest in methanolic extract which was 59.11±0.12%). Overall all four medicinal plants indicated reasonable antimicrobial and significant antioxidant activities, thus supporting their traditional medicinal practices/uses. On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that the study area was under heavy deforestation, overgrazing and biotic interference. Low regeneration and high exploitation of economically and medicinally valuable plants exposed many species to risk of extinction. The recommendations are made for the sustainable utilization, proper management and conservation of the flora of the study area.
Pulpit and Masjid play very pivotal and productive role in a Muslim society. It not only educates and guides Muslims in religious matters as well shapes the social attitude and role of Muslims. Moreover, it is evident by the history that Islamic State was run by the Head of the State from Masjid. Unfortunately, pulpit and Masjid have been losing sense of their actual responsibility as an agent of social cohesion, integration and reformation. The paper is an attempt of studying the current role of pulpit and Masjid regarding religious education and training, exploring the factors that have been hampering the way of realizing the dream of social reformation in contemporary Pashtun society by not allowing pulpit and Masjid to play its due role in this respect and suggesting feasible recommendation for coping with the issue. The study is based on primary data that was collected through questionnaire in District Bannu and Lakki Marwat.
Reading is an interactive- constructive process in which readers comprehend, interpret, and respond to the text according to what they already know. Effective readers have personal expectations about what they will get from a selection, and they bring those expectations to bear as they read by predicting and testing their predictions. The children actively create meaning by constructing, or generating relationship between what is within the text and what they already know. Some researchers describe reading as a ;transaction, (Rosenblatt 1988) in which meaning emerges from a give and take relationship between the reader and the print on the page. The interaction between the reader and the text allowed reader to construct their own meaning background Knowledge and experience according to there. This research was therefore conducted to identify strategies that were being implemented by the teacher to develop reading comprehension in students. And how, the teachers could be facilitated to improve their teaching strategies to enhance students reading comprehension skills. This study was divided into two phases. Phase 1 dealt with implementing strategies that could develop comprehension skills through stories in an ESL classroom. Story helps to develop language in the classroom, as Meek (1988) points out, ;Stories encourage them to take on new meaning regularly in a context of shared enjoyment. They learn about language and the different ways it is used. (P.37) They learn new language of stories, which is different from everyday spoken language. Gradually children take possession of the language of books and they begin to learn vital lessons about the reading process Phase II was an exploration of how to facilitate the teacher in her professional development. For enhancing her knowledge about implementing effective strategies like predicting, questioning, silent reading and group work, to develop children reading comprehension. The findings revealed the teachers understanding and her changes in her perception throughout the course of the study. And how this study helped her to professionally develop her style of teaching in order to get the desired children's reading comprehension. The findings also revealed that as a result of teacher development and reflection on practice, the teacher could change her conception and her approaches to the teaching of reading comprehension skills.