Pakistan is largely arid, with 92% of its area being semi-arid to hyper-arid. Traditional medicine plays an important role in rural healthcare, with over 70% of the population relying on herbal remedies. Many plants have long been used in folk medicines around the world to treat a variety of ailments, such as cannabis in ancient China, tobacco and betel leaves in various Asian cultures, and opium throughout history. Folk remedies involving plants are still used today to potentially treat conditions like headaches, acne, upset stomach, and more.

5. Arid Zone and Pakistan
Overview
 Pakistan is basically an arid country as 92% area falls
under semi-arid to hyper-arid. regions.
 Thus, 74 million hectares out of 80 million hectares are
under arid environment .
 The rain fed and runoff agriculture covers around 5
million hectares in the country in addition to forests and
rangelands.
 The loss of rainwater and erosion of top fertile soils are
the major causes of low productivity and sustainability of
the rain fed agriculture

10. Medicinal Plants in Arid Zone
1. Medicinal plants are a valuable natural resource and regarded as
potentially safe drugs.
2. They have been playing an important role in alleviating human
sufferings by contributing herbal medicines in the primary health
care systems of rural and remote hilly areas where more than
70% of population depends on folklore and traditional system of
medicines.

13. Definition of folk medicine
 Traditional medicine as practiced nonprofessionally
especially by people isolated from modern medical services
and usually involving the use of plant-derived remedies on
an empirical basis.
 OR
 Traditional medicine as practiced by non
professional healers or embodied in local custom or lore, ge
nerally
 involving the use of natural and especially herbal remedies.


14. Folk medicine
 Many successful medical discoveries of today were one
time used as folk remedies.
 Examples are Foxglove which gave digitalis, St. John’s
Wort as an anti-depressant,
 Willow Tree’s salicylates and one rarely mentioned today,
 Goldenseal which was used 130 years ago for the
treatment of peptic ulcers as an antibiotic.
 It took state of the art technology and a Nobel Prize to
discover they were caused by H. pylori bacteria, when all
along, this was successfully treated with herbal tea from
Goldenseal prepared by an herb granny.

15. History of Folk Medicines
 The use of plants as source of Folk medicine dates back
to about 4000 to 5000 B.C..
 Drug plants had been extensively described by Aristotle,
Theophrastus and others as early as 77 B.C.
 Dioscorides (64-1600 B.C.) in his famous book ‘De
Materia Medica’ has given invaluable and authoritative
references about drug yielding plants

16. History of Folk Remedies
Through Out
World A Research Report
Thereof

17. Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History
of Drug Use and Effects

18. Cannabis in China
 he wider world is certainly no
stranger to this drug, with
thousands of cannabis legalization
debates taking place across the
globe. However, it has been in use
for thousands of years and is
believed to have been used in
ancient Central and South Asia.
 A 2,7000-year-old grave in western
china exhibits the most recent
evidence of the drug being used as a
psychoactive substance in ancient
times; around 789 grams, or 1.7
pounds of the substance was found
in the shaman’s grave

19. Tobacco
 Tobacco is the chief
ingredient in Cigarettes. It is
the most common drug that
is still used all over the
world. It is believed that it
was first used in Asia and
Native Americans also used
it.
 Native Americans used
tobacco before being
discovered by Columbus in
1492.

20. Betle Leaves – in Oldages
 Ancient human stained
red by chewing betel
leaves (above) have been
found in a cave in the
Philippines

21. Opium -Global
 Opium is undoubtedly the most
widely used drug in ancient history.
The history of opium is long and
complex but scholars believe it was
first cultivated by Sumerians in 3400
BC. Some of the ancient users of the
drug include Romans, Greeks,
Indians, Egyptians, Assyrians, as well
as the Sumerians. Opium is derived
from the latex found in the husk of
the poppy flower. This latex contains
morphine which is the active
ingredient in the drug. Historically,
the drug was used to provide pain
relief, induce sleep, cure diarrhea
and even improve libido.

22. Nutmeg-Ancient India
 Ancient Indian and Asian
cultures were prone to using
Nutmeg recreationally. While
it is mostly regarded as a
cooking ingredient today,
nutmeg is useful in the
treatment of asthma and heart
complaints and also serves as a
sedative. Many ancient
cultures believed that the spice
had special or magical powers.

23. Blue Lotus in Egypt
 Blue lotus was a favorite
amongst ancient Egyptians.
The drug tends to put users
in a more talkative, relaxed
and even, in some cases,
aroused mood; although
modern users point to the
blissful sleep it can provide
as one of the key reasons
for its popularity.

24. Psilocybin –Ancient Time
 Psilocybin was used by
Ancient people in the
Saharan Desert as well as
throughout Central and
South American cultures.
Also known as ‘magic
mushrooms’, they have
been found in North African
murals dated anywhere
from 9000 to 7000 B

25. Betel Nut in Ancient ime
 Beetle Nut is also a very common
and popular drug. Betel nut, also
known as areca nut has been around
for thousands of years. Evidences
prove that the drugs existed as far
as 13, 000 years ago in the island of
Timor in northern Australian.
 People throughout Asia had been
chewing areca seeds, more
commonly known as betel nuts, for
centuries before European sailors
brought them to Europe during the
Renaissance.

26. Harmal in India
 Harmal was commonly
used by West Indian ,
Iranian and Andean
cultures. Interestingly, it
was recently discovered in
the hair of an adult male
mummy and a mummified
one-year-old baby in
Northern Chile.
 The older male was buried
with snuffing trays and
pipes which may have
been used to consume the
drug.
 The remains are believed
to be from 800 to 1200
AD.

27. Aspirin -global
 As early as in 400 BC,
Hippocrates gave Greek
women willow-leaf tea (the tea
contained aspirin like
constituent) to relieve the pain
of childbirth
 Plants used in the folk
medicines are rich source of
bioactive molecules (drugs).
 Everybody must have taken
aspirin in one time or the other
for the relief of the pain

28. Apple Cidar vinegar for sunburn relief
Germany
 Use a cotton swab to dab
vinegar on a burn or add a
few cups to a cool bath
and soak in it.
 Russians also use this
method to decrease
fevers.

29. Coconut to fight fat - Sri Lanka
 You may have heard that
coconut oil is a great way to slim
your waist.
 Well the people of Sri Lanka
figured this one out way before
the rest of the world. It's
reported that the average Sri
Lankan eats about 116 coconuts .
 Try having about two
tablespoons of coconut oil daily
(in your cooking) and you could
shed up to three pounds a
month!

30. Cinnamon ( Darcheeni) for Acne in
South Africa
 Create an acne cream by
mixing four tablespoons of
honey with three teaspoons
of ground cinnamon.
 Apply it directly to the skin
and leave it on overnight.
 Use it every night for best
results..

31. Ginger to regulate triglycerides -
Indonesia
 Indonesia is the world's
largest grower and
consumer of ginger and
ginger products, with locals
using it in their cooking,
teas, candies and breads.
 Their tradition has long
pointed to ginger as an
effective treatment for the
heart, and there are studies
to back them up.

32. Ginger and Black Tea- China
 Add four slices of fresh
ginger to a cup of black tea.
 A British medical journal
found that ginger is more
effective than Dramamine in
alleviating motion sickness.
 This is old news to Chinese
medicine, which has made
use of it for thousands of
years.

33. Black seed oil(Kalonji) -Middle East
 The Prophet Muhammad is
quoted as saying, “Use this
black seed regularly,
because it has a cure for
every disease except
death.”
 It was also believed to have
been used by Pharaohs in
ancient Egypt.

35. Oregano (Ajwain) in Cuba
 Make an oregano tea.
Steep half a cup of dried
oregano in a cup of
boiling water and let it
steep for five minutes
before straining.

36. Onion for Cold and Flue - Dominican
Republic
 Finely chop half of a large
onion. Mix with one cup of
honey (the amount in a typical
honey bear). Every night, take
2 tablespoons of this mixture
with the juice of half a lime.
 Onions have powerful anti-
inflammatory, anti-oxidant,
anti-everything bad super
powers, which are enhanced
by lime juice chock-full of
Vitamin C.

37. Ginger and Lemon Tea for cold/flue
Japan
 This one is fairly popular
among Westerners, and for
good reason. It can ease
symptoms of congestion,
aches and pains, and
nausea.
 Grate about 2 inches of
fresh ginger root and boil in
1 cup of water for about 20
minutes. Remove from heat.
Squeeze in a fresh lemon
and sweeten with honey

38. Turmeric to steady blood sugar levels
- India
 Indians use turmeric to treat high blood
sugar levels, a practice that has been
scientifically confirmed by research at
Gujarat University.
 Researchers confirmed that the active
ingredient in turmeric, called curcumin,
switches on the genes that keep blood
glucose levels stable.
 The compound can also help the
pancreas make insulin when it is low.
 In order to see the benefits of turmeric,
start taking about half a teaspoon daily
either directly or in your cooking.

39. Turmeric for diarrhea. India
 This curry essential is now
being widely embraced by
the planet for its potent
anti-inflammatory benefits
from heart disease to
arthritis and more.
 Mix a bit of ground turmeric
with water, milk or juice or
take in capsule form.

40. Mushrooms to fight bad cholesterol -
Japan
 Mushrooms are a popular
food and medicine in Japan,
with the average Japanese
woman consuming about 8
pounds of mushrooms a
year.
 This is because mushrooms
are packed with
antioxidants that prevent
the liver's production of
artery-clogging fats.

41. Mustard baths to calm muscle pain -
England
 Ever heard of a mustard
bath? While it may sound
like a hoax, mustard baths
are used heavily in England
to quell tight and achy
muscles.
 Mustard has healing plant
compounds that draw out
toxins through the pores to
improve circulation, relax
tight muscles and speed the
healing of damaged tissue.

42. Chamomile tea- Latin America
 Make chamomile tea.
Using your own dried
chamomile is best, but
chamomile tea bags are
readily available in most
grocery stores.
 The plant sterols in
chamomile love to soothe
an upset stomach.

43. Chamomile tea to reduce bloating
- Germany
 Not only does chamomile
tea soothe the stomach,
it also causes the brain to
produce more
encephalins, or painkilling
hormones that will help
fight off depression and
negative thoughts.

44. Garlic to fight off viruses - Russia
 While garlic is used the
world over to add flavor
to food, in Russia they
use this herb to get rid of
colds, the flu or any other
viral infection.
 It has recently been
proven that this pungent
natural medicine is
seriously effective. At the
University of Florida in

45. Coffee to get rid of depression -
Finland
 This cold Scandinavian
country is actually the
world's largest consumer
of coffee, drinking on
average about 1,640 cups
per year. Indeed, coffee
was originally sold in
pharmacies in Finland in
the 18th century as a
treatment for depression.
 Now research from

46. Coriander as remedy for stoach
pain – Egypt
 One of the world's oldest
spices and a popular
Egyptian remedy for
stomach pain, new
research proves the
powerful effects of this
ancient spice.
 The research suggests
that coriander seeds can
speed up recovery from
full-blown intestinal

47. Honey to treat sinus infections -
New Zealand
 Unpasteurized honey is
one of the top treatments
used in New Zealand for
sinus and throat
infections.
 According to research at
the University of Illinois
and the University of
Amsterdam, the natural
antibiotics and enzymes
in unpasteurized honey

48. Honey and cinnamon for acne
relief.
South Africa
 Cinnamon is a potent
anti-inflammatory (in the
body as well).
 Applied with honey,
which has healing,
antibacterial and potent
moisturizing abilities, this
mixture can relieve
redness and itchiness as
well as speed acne
blemish healing.

49. Cinnamon for Headaches -India
 Mix a tablespoon of
ground cinnamon with a
tablespoon of warm
water and apply the paste
to your forehead.

50. Celery(Ajmood) Leaves for Upset
Stomach-Spain
 Boil some water and
throw in a handful of
celery leaves (make sure
to rinse them first). Let
the leaves steep for five
minutes, strain, and then
drink the tea. Celery is the
enemy of acid buildup.

51. Black currant ( Kali kishmish)juice
for respiratory infections. Finland
 If you’re sniffling or
wheezing in Finland,
don’t be surprised if
someone pours you a
glass of black currant
juice.
 The vitamin-C rich berries
are believed to help
reduce the symptoms of
stuffiness connected with
cold and flu.

52. Arnica(Gaoo Chashm) to prevent
bruises - Greece
 A herb that grows in the
mountainous regions of
Greece, arnica has been a
go-to remedy since
ancient times for nasty
bruising and closed
wounds.
 It has become the most
popular homeopathic
remedy worldwide due to
its power of healing and

53. Aloe Vera to treat skin rashes -
Mexico
 Where the sun is hot and
always shining, aloe vera
is used to treat rashes
and other skin problems.

54. Ayahuasca for many ailments –
Peru
 . The highly psychoactive
combination of two
South American jungle
plants in a brew called
ayahuasca is revered for
its spiritua
 A strong purgative,
people suffering from
ailments as serious as
cancer have sought out
this remedy treasured by

55. Honey cough syrup- Pakistan
 1tsp honey+ pinch black
salt (kala namak) + pinch
turmeric (haldi). Warm up
slightly and take to
relieve coughing and
pain. If you take this as
soon as you feel pain
swallowing — which
usually indicates the
onset of a sore throat .

56. Olive Trees to Treat Acne-Greece
 Greeks claim that he first
oil trees grew in Greece
when the goddess
Athena planted a seed
into the ground which
immediately sprouted up
into a beautiful olive tree.
 Ancient Greek women
found many natural
remedies from the olives

57. Tomatoes For Prostate Cancer
Prevention -Greeks
 Maybe not so ancient, but
as far back as around the
15th century, Greeks
believed that eating a
tomato a day would
lessen the chances of
men developing prostate
cancer. Definitely a tip
worth noting.

58. Mint for Migraine Relief -Greeks
 The ancient Greeks not
only used mint as an
aromatherapy because of
its fresh relaxing aroma,
but they also used mint to
help relieve migraines and
also for relief of stomach
aches.

59. Fenugreek for Respiratory
Ailments and Diabetes
 The ancient Greeks first
used the herb known as
fenugreek as a part of
their cattle-feed to help
stimulate the digestion of
their cattle and horses.

60. Fennel for Weight Loss and Joint
Pain
 The ancient Greeks saw
fennel as a natural
expectorant that was
used to help combat
annoying coughs.
 It was also taken in the
form of an herbal tea
where it helped aid in
weight loss aid, cramp
relief and a treatment for
muscle and joint pain

61. Flaxseed to Lower Cholesterol -
Greek
 Used as commonly in
ancient times as modern
days, flaxseed helps aid in
digestion and lowering
cholesterol levels and
were a favorite
prescribed healer of
ancient Greek physicians.

62. Parsley-Urinary tract aid
 Tradition says: Parsley
root can be used for
diseases of the urinary
tract, wrote botanist and
apothecary John
Parkinson in a treatment
recommendation he
prepared for the Queen
of England in 1629

64. Horseradish for Respiratory
Infections -Greek
 Used in ancient times to
help prevent illness,
during the cold winter
months, ancient
 Greeks would eat
horseradish to help get
rid of excess phlegm in
the lungs and respiratory
system such as sinuses

65. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria
canadensis)-North America
 was used by Native
Americans to treat fevers
and rheumatism and to
induce vomiting. Modern
herbalists use it as an
emetic too, as well as to
promote coughing and
clearing of the respiratory
tract. They also use it
cautiously because
bloodroot can be toxic in

66. Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) –
North America
 Wild yam (Dioscorea
villosa) is native to North
and Central America. The
Mayans and Aztecs used
it to relieve pain, and
North American pioneers
used it to treat
rheumatism.
 These cultures also used
wild yam to treat painful
menstruation and labor

67. Foxglove (Digitalis spp.) –Europe
 Is native to western
Europe, where folk
healers used it as a
diuretic and for other
purposes.
 Today, it is the source of
the powerful heart drugs
digitoxin and digoxin.

68. Belladonna (Atropa belladonna), -
Italy
 Also known as deadly
nightshade, was once
believed to help witches
fly.
 Its name may come from
the practice by Italian
women of using the herb
to dilate their pupils,
considered a mark of
beauty.
 It was also used to treat

69. Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) -
Australia
 Was used by the
Aborigines to treat fevers
and infections.
 Today we know that the
leaves’ essential oil
contains eucalyptol,
which contributes to the
herb’s ability to dilate the
small airways of the
lungs.
 It often is used as an

70. Ipecac (Cephaelis ipecacuanha)-
South America
 Was used by South
Americans to clear the
stomach and respiratory
tract.
 European explorers took
it home with them in 1672
and found it to be an
effective treatment for
amoebic dysentery

71. Quinine (Cinchona spp.)-South
America
 Is native to the
mountainous regions of
South America. Peruvians
used the bark to make a
treatment for fevers and
infections.
 Today, we know that its
bark contains alkaloids
that provide a remedy for
malaria, which was used

72. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) _China
 The tree is native to
China, where its seeds are
used in herbal medicine
to relieve wheezing and
to treat incontinence and
its leaves are used to
treat asthma.

73. Senna (Cassia senna) –Tropical
Africa
 Is native to tropical Africa
and was first used
medicinally by Arabian
physicians in the ninth
century.
 Then, as now, its
medicinal value comes
from its strength as a
laxative.
 Senna causes the muscles
of the large intestine to

74. Tea
 Tea originated in
Southwest China, where
it was used as a medicinal
drink.
 It was popularized as a
recreational drink during
the Chinese Tang dynasty,
and tea drinking spread
to other East Asian
countries.
 Portuguese priests and

75. Visnaga (Ammi visnaga) -Egypt
 Provided the Egyptians
with a remedy for kidney
stones.
 Today, the herb still is
used to ease the pain of
kidney stones and is the
source of a drug used to
treat asthma.