Medicinal Plants: Utilisation and Conservation, Second Edition

The medicinal plants of a country or region are its important resource base that contributes immensely to local health traditions. In India, it is unique that the significance of such plants, their health benefits, has always been high -- about three-fourths of the herbal drugs produced in India are used for curing human ailments. But such pants need to be domesticated and conserved a lot more zealously on the basis of awareness, knowledge and concern, and utilised much more intelligently. This volume is a first-of-a-kind effort to throw light on aspects of cultivation, conservation and utilisation of medicinal plants.

The book profiles over hundred medicinal plants from all over India which have been reported, classified and analysed by scientific researchers and academicians from different corners of India. The articles by noted botanists discuss the importance, current status, cultivation and medicinal benefits of a wide variety of plant species found in India. They cover medicinal plants of the Garhwal and Uttaranchal region, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other states. They identify the medicinal plants mentioned in the Rigveda and trace the link between health, herbs and environment where these plants are concerned. They discuss how the various herbs available in India are effective for health problems like heart ailments, cancer, dental infections, asthma, viral diseases, kidney and liver disorders and even wounds and injuries to the body. They explore the benefits of some very rare botanical herbs as well for their anti-microbial properties.