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Sustainability
Volume 18
Issue 12
10.3390/su18126072
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Conservation and Threat Assessment of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle (Himalayan Mayapple) in Swat, Pakistan: A Remarkable Medicinal Plant

by
Zahoor Khan
1,
Bushra Khan
1,
Syed Tanveer Shah
2,
Omer Farooq
3,
Mian Ishaq Ahmad
4,
Muhammad Saqib
5,
Aftab Jamal
4,6,
Muhammad Farhan Saeed
6 and
Roberto Mancinelli
7,*
1
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan
2
Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Biological and Health Sciences, Hazara University, Mansehra 211220, Pakistan
3
Institute of Agronomy, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan
4
Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar 25130, Pakistan
5
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
6
Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari-Campus, Vehari 61100, Pakistan
7
Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2026, 18(12), 6072; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126072 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 6 May 2026 / Revised: 31 May 2026 / Accepted: 10 June 2026 / Published: 12 June 2026
Versions Notes

Abstract

Podophyllum hexandrum Royle (1834) (Himalayan Mayapple), a key Himalayan medicinal plant and source of podophyllotoxin for anticancer drugs, is declining due to overharvesting, habitat loss, and climate change. This study, conducted from May to September 2024 across nine populations in Swat, Pakistan, assessed its ethnobotanical importance and conservation status. A total of 331 participants (270 individual surveys + 61 group discussions) were included. Using ethnobotanical surveys, IUCN-CMP threat frameworks, and spatial analysis, results showed high cultural value (Use Value = 0.63–0.92) and strong consensus for rheumatism (ICF = 0.91) and fever (ICF = 0.89). Fidelity levels were 94% for rheumatism and 88% for fever. Only 35% of respondents demonstrated conservation awareness. Overharvesting was the main threat, followed by habitat degradation and climate change. The species showed restricted distribution (EOO = 4250 km2; AOO = 295 km2), high fragmentation (0.68), and a 35% population decline over 10 years. It is assessed as Endangered (EN B1ab (iii, v)). This study provides the first integrated ethnobotanical–GIS assessment of P. hexandrum in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya region of Pakistan, offering measurable conservation baselines and community perception data previously unavailable. Findings align with global medicinal plant decline trends and support integration with CBD, SDGs (3 and 15), and potential CITES listing. Urgent conservation actions are required, including community-based management, habitat restoration, sustainable harvesting, ex situ conservation, and policy enforcement.
Keywords: ethnobotany; conservation assessment; podophyllotoxin; Himalayan medicinal plants; IUCN Red List; overharvesting; traditional knowledge; climate change; endangered species ethnobotany; conservation assessment; podophyllotoxin; Himalayan medicinal plants; IUCN Red List; overharvesting; traditional knowledge; climate change; endangered species

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Khan, Z.; Khan, B.; Shah, S.T.; Farooq, O.; Ahmad, M.I.; Saqib, M.; Jamal, A.; Saeed, M.F.; Mancinelli, R. Conservation and Threat Assessment of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle (Himalayan Mayapple) in Swat, Pakistan: A Remarkable Medicinal Plant. Sustainability 2026, 18, 6072. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126072

AMA Style

Khan Z, Khan B, Shah ST, Farooq O, Ahmad MI, Saqib M, Jamal A, Saeed MF, Mancinelli R. Conservation and Threat Assessment of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle (Himalayan Mayapple) in Swat, Pakistan: A Remarkable Medicinal Plant. Sustainability. 2026; 18(12):6072. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126072

Chicago/Turabian Style

Khan, Zahoor, Bushra Khan, Syed Tanveer Shah, Omer Farooq, Mian Ishaq Ahmad, Muhammad Saqib, Aftab Jamal, Muhammad Farhan Saeed, and Roberto Mancinelli. 2026. "Conservation and Threat Assessment of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle (Himalayan Mayapple) in Swat, Pakistan: A Remarkable Medicinal Plant" Sustainability 18, no. 12: 6072. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126072

APA Style

Khan, Z., Khan, B., Shah, S. T., Farooq, O., Ahmad, M. I., Saqib, M., Jamal, A., Saeed, M. F., & Mancinelli, R. (2026). Conservation and Threat Assessment of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle (Himalayan Mayapple) in Swat, Pakistan: A Remarkable Medicinal Plant. Sustainability, 18(12), 6072. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126072

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