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Introduction:
Tradition of medicinal plants use in India is about 4000 years old.
In the Ayurveda, about 1400 plants are documented in various texts. In Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Ashtang Hridaya we can find more than 600 plants. Rig Veda (4500 to about 1600 BC) is perhaps the oldest document where medicinal plants have been described. Atharva Veda,
also describes medicinal uses of large number of plants. Another treatise Dravya Guna Shastra provides information about medicinal plants from pharmacological point of view. Similarly, Unani and other systems of medicine practiced in India are largely dependent on medicinal plants.
The wider acceptance of herbal based formulations is the growing recognition that natural products are non-narcotic and almost without side effects.
The Indian systems of treatment lay adequate stress on balanced diet and on
inclusion of specific items in food to provide immunity against diseases. Also,
number of plants products with medicinal properties form constituents of food.
Even spices are being found to have medicinal properties. For example, capsicum, garlic,
turmeric, onion, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, curry leaf etc. have been found to protect against various health problems as well provide cure from certain
diseases. Tamarind is used in curries, chutneys,sauces etc.
as spice. Its unripe fruit
is used for seasoning of food. Its pulp is rich in iron, calcium, potassium,
phosphorous, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, carbohydrates, fiber, invert sugar etc.
Vitamin C is present in substantial quantity in green fruits.
Amla has been used as such or for ‘chutney’, pickle, ‘murabba’ etc. ‘Charaka
Samhita’ records it as the most potent rejuvenating agent. Modern studies have proved that amla is extremely rich in vitamin C and Pectin, containing more than 150 times vitamin C compared to apple.
Amla is an effective anti-ageing agent. It replaces worn out tissues with new ones.
Contribution made by the Indian systems of medicines and folk traditions have
been acknowledged by the WHO (World Health Organization) as well.
As per estimates India has about 15000 species of plants with medicinal
properties. Presently about 8000 of these are in use as follows:
Ayurveda -1769 species
Siddha - 1121 species
Unani - 751 species
Amchi or Tibetan 279
Folk - 4671 species
Medicinal Plants based Industry
Medicinal plants based industry in the country has an annual turn over of about Rs.42,000/- million per year and it is estimated to grow at the rate of about 20 per cent per year. There are hundreds of manufacturers and exporters in the country who are benefiting and large number of people is getting direct and indirect employment in these activities.
About 800 to 900 medicinal plants are in all India trade, about 700 are obtained from the forests and many of these are harvested in large quantities. Common examples are neem, sena,
amla, asoka, harra, gulancha, khas, ashwagandha, sarpgandha etc. Due to excessive and unscientific harvesting, large numbers of medicinal plant species are under threat.
Incentives for cultivation of medicinal plants
Existing Initiatives to Conserve Medicinal Plants Export of 29 types of plants, plant portions and their derivatives and extracts from plants obtained from the wild except in formulations has been banned.
A National Medicinal Plants Board has been constituted. The Central Board has selected 28 plant species for development and promotion in first phase. Incentives are also available for cultivation of medicinal plants to ease pressure on the wild resource.
Another initiative is to declare forest areas rich in medicinal plants as Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas
(MPCAs), which are legally protected. Plants cannot be removed from there for trade. Fifty-five such MPCAs exist now.
Four National Gene Banks have also been set up for collection and conservation of important medicinal and aromatic plants of the country. These banks maintain the plants as live materials, seeds, and genetic material and also under cryogenic conditions.
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