Abstract
Despite their dominance in global agricultural landscapes, many species within the Poaceae family—one of the largest angiosperm groups—are frequently classified as competitive weeds. However, in rural and indigenous biocultural landscapes, these grasses often serve as vital ethnomedicinal resources. This study investigates and quantitatively evaluates the ethnomedicinal applications of Poaceae weed flora in the Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Data were gathered through comprehensive floristic surveys and semi-structured interviews with local practitioners. The traditional knowledge was statistically validated using three key quantitative indices: Use Value (UV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and Fidelity Level (FL%). Analysis reveals a significant reliance on Poaceae species for primary healthcare. Quantitative trends indicate that leaves are the most frequently utilized plant part (62%), followed by whole plants (20%) and roots (18%), with decoctions (44%) being the predominant mode of preparation. High consensus was recorded for urinary disorders, which yielded the strongest agreement among informants (ICF = 0.82). Among the documented species, Cynodon dactylon exhibited the highest relative importance (UV = 0.78), followed closely by Saccharum spontaneum (0.65).
