The term “medicinal plant” includes various types of plants used in herbalism (“herbology” or “herbal medicine”). It is the use of plants for medicinal purposes and the study of such uses.
Plants have been used for medicinal purposes long before the prehistoric period. Ancient Unani manuscripts Egyptian papyrus and Chinese writings described the use of herbs. Evidence exists that Unani Hakims, Indian Vaids, and European and Mediterranean cultures were using herbs for over 4000 years as medicine. Indigenous cultures such as Rome, Egypt, Iran, Africa, and America used herbs in their healing rituals, while other developed traditional medical systems such as Unani, Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine in which herbal therapies were used systematically.
Traditional systems of medicine continue to be widely practiced on many accounts. Population rise, inadequate supply of drugs, the prohibitive cost of treatments, side effects of several synthetic drugs, and development of resistance to currently used drugs for infectious diseases have led to increased emphasis on the use of plant materials as a source of medicines for a wide variety of human ailments.
Among ancient civilizations, India has been known to be a rich repository of medicinal plants. The forest in India is the principal repository of a large number of medicinal and aromatic plants, which are largely collected as raw materials for the manufacture of drugs and perfumery products. About 8,000 herbal remedies have been codified in AYUSH systems in INDIA. Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Folk (tribal) medicines are the major systems of indigenous medicines. Among these systems, Ayurveda and Unani Medicine are most developed and widely practiced in India.
Recently, WHO (World Health Organization) estimated that 80 percent of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some aspect of their primary health care needs. According to WHO, around 21,000 plant species have the potential for being used as medicinal plants.
As per data available over three-quarters of the world population relies mainly on plants and plant extracts for their health care needs. More than 30% of the entire plant species, at one time or other, were used for medicinal purposes. It has been estimated, that in developed countries such as the United States, plant drugs constitute as much as 25% of the total drugs, while in fast-developing countries such as India and China, the contribution is as much as 80%. Thus, the economic importance of medicinal plants is much more to countries such as India than to the rest of the world. These countries provide two-thirds of the plants used in the modern system of medicine and the health care system of the rural population depend on indigenous systems of medicine.
Treatment with medicinal plants is considered very safe as there is no or minimal side effects. These remedies are in sync with nature, which is the biggest advantage. The golden fact is that, use of herbal treatments is independent of any age group and the sexes.
The ancient scholars only believed that herbs are only solutions to cure a number of health-related problems and diseases. They conducted a thorough study about the same, experimented to arrive at accurate conclusions about the efficacy of different herbs that have medicinal value. Most of the drugs, thus formulated, are free of side effects or reactions. This is the reason why herbal treatment is growing in popularity across the globe. These herbs that have medicinal quality provide rational means for the treatment of many internal diseases, which are otherwise considered difficult to cure.
Medicinal plants such as Aloe, Tulsi, Neem, Turmeric, and Ginger cure several common ailments. These are considered as home remedies in many parts of the country. It is a known fact that lots of consumers are using Basil (Tulsi) for making medicines, black tea, in pooja and other activities in their day-to-day life.
In several parts of the world, many herbs are used to honor their kings showing it as a symbol of luck. Now, after finding the role of herbs in medicine, lots of consumers started the plantation of tulsi and other medicinal plants in their home gardens.
Medicinal plants are considered as a rich resources of ingredients that can be used in drug development either pharmacopoeial, non- pharmacopoeial or synthetic drugs. Apart from that, these plants play a critical role in the development of human cultures around the whole world. Moreover, some plants are considered an important source of nutrition and as a result of that they are recommended for their therapeutic values. Some of these plants include ginger, green tea, walnuts, aloe, pepper and turmeric etc. Some plants and their derivatives are considered as important sources for active ingredients which are used in aspirin and toothpaste etc.
Apart from the medicinal uses, herbs are also used in natural dye, pest control, food, perfume, tea, and so on. In many countries, different kinds of medicinal plants/ herbs are used to keep ants, flies, mice and flee away from homes and offices. Nowadays medicinal herbs are important sources for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Recipes for the treatment of common ailments such as diarrhea, constipation, hypertension, low sperm count, dysentery and weak penile erection, piles, coated tongue, menstrual disorders, bronchial asthma, leucorrhoea, and fevers are given by the traditional medicine practitioners very effectively.
Over the past two decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the use of herbal medicine; however, there is still a significant lack of research data in this field. Therefore since 1999, WHO has published three volumes of the WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants.
CREDIT TO AUTHORS: SOURCE: nhp.gov.in
