An Insight Into Indigenous Ethnobotanical and Pharmacological Potential of Solanaceae Family in Pakistan: A Review

The uses of indigenous plants in medicines are as old as the existence of humans on earth. Globally, the reliance on herbal medicines is in practice by local people. Due to diverse climatic conditions, a wide range of medicinally important flora is produced in Pakistan. Solanaceae is a broadly good flora used in traditional and commercial medications. The current review presents the first-ever ethnobotanical study of Solanaceae flora in Pakistan by tracking and compiling the details from authentic data sources. In total, 39 medicinal plant species belonging to 13 genera from the Solanaceae family were recorded to treat different diseases. Solanum (9 species), Lycium (7 species) and Datura (5 species) were the most significantly used plant families in Pakistan. Most plant parts used in the preparation of medicines are leaves (40%), fruits (25%), and roots (10%). The Solanum genus reports the highest number of pharmacological uses in asthma, cholera, bronchitis, fever, neuralgia, ulcer, analgesic, and inflammation. The results were compiled in a table summarizing the reports with genera, species, and their uses. These plant species were highly active against specific ailments such as skin disorders, liver dysfunction, allergic and microbial infections. In most of the reported studies, it is mentioned that the allopathic and homoeopathic pharmacopoeia use leaves, roots, seeds, flowers and sometimes fruits of these plants in formulating medicines due to the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and polyphenols. The present study can significantly help the baseline study for Solanaceae flora identify ethnobotanical properties, especially in Pakistan.