Exploring the Economic Value of Underutilized Plant Species in Ayubia National Park

This research was conducted on selected underutilized plant species in Ayubia National Park, Pakistan. The six most prominently used medicinal and food species viz., Adhatoda vasica, Artemisia scoparia, Galium aparine, Amaranthus viridis, Hedera nepalensis and Urtica dioica that gain little attention by scientific research and local community were selected as underutilized species. Due to their underutilized characteristics they were investigated in detail for exploring their economic values. About 50 informants were interviewed in this regard to study their ethnomedicinal and ecological properties. Amaranthus viridis, Hedera nepalensis and Urtica dioica were also chemically analyzed for ash, total proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The results of the study demonstrated that these 6 selected underutilized species have great medicinal and nutritional importance could be good sources of some important nutrients for humans and can become a source of poverty alleviation of poor local community of the study are. The precious ethno botanical knowledge about underutilized plants is disappearing very fast, however this study could be helpful in conserving the precious knowledge.