Medicinal plants

Medicinal plants are various plants thought by some to have medicinal properties, but few plants or their

phytochemical constituents have been proven by rigorous science or approved by regulatory agencies

such as the United States Food and Drug Administration or European Food Safety Authority to have

medicinal effects.

Use of plants as a source of medicine has been an ancient practice and is an important

component of the health care system in India. In the Indian systems of medicine, most

practitioners formulate and dispense their own recipes, hence this requires proper documentation

and research. In west also the use of herbal medicines is growing with approximately 40 per cent

of population reporting use of herb to treat medical diseases within the past year. General Public,

academic and government interest in traditional medicines is growing rapidly due to the increase

side effects of the adverse drug reactions and cost factor of the modern system of medicine.

There are about 45,000 medicinal plant species in India, with concentrated spots in the region of

Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman & Nicobar Island. The officially documented

plants with medicinal potential are 3000 but traditional practitioners use more than 6000. India is

the largest producer of medicinal herbs and is called the botanical garden of the world. There are

currently about 250 000 registered medical practitioners of the Ayurvedic system ,as compared

to about 700,000 of the modern medicine system. In rural India, 70 per cent of the population

depends on the traditional type of medicine, the Ayurveda.

In India, many forms of alternative medicines are available for those who do not want

conventional medicine or who cannot be helped by conventional

medicine. Ayurveda and Kabiraji (herbal medicine) are two important forms of alternative

medicine that is widely available in India.

Ayurvedic form of medicine is believed to be existent in India for thousands of years. It employs

various techniques and things to provide healing or relief to the ailing patients. One of the things

that ayurveda uses is medications of plant origin.

With the scripts in the Atharva Veda, we have evidence of a traditional use of medicinal plants

that is more than 3000 years old.

The first set of stamps showing medicinal plants came out in 1997. The set had four stamps

showing four different medicinal plants - Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Haridra (Curcuma longa),

Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina), and Ghritkumari (Aloe barbadensis).

Continuing with the series that began on 28th October 1997, the Department of Posts now brings

out another set of four stamps on the medicinal plants of India. The stamps featuring in this set

are on Guggulu (Commiphora wightii), Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Aswagandha (Withania

somnifera) and Amla (Emblica officinallis).

Guggulu (Commiphora wightii) is an armed shrub or small tree found in the arid and semi-arid

zones of India, particularly Rajasthan. The oleo gum resin from its stem constitutes an important

therapeutic agent used in the treatment of various categories of ailments like neurological

conditions, leprosy, skin diseases, heart ailments, cerebro vascular diseases and hypertension.

Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) is a herb that spreads on ground, having fleshy stems and leaves. It is found in moist or

wet places in all parts of India. Brahmi is useful for treating the diseases of the brain and to improve memory power.

Brahmi-formulations are prescribed in rheumatism, mental disorders, constipation and bronchitis. It is also a diuretic

Amla (Emblica officinallis) is a medium sized deciduous tree found throughout India. It yields a

globose pale yellow fruit known for its varied medicinal properties. It is regarded as an digestive,

carminative, laxative, anti-pyretic and tonic. It is prescribed in colics, jaundice, hemorrhages,

flatulence and many other disorders.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a small or medium sized shrub found in the drier parts of

India. It is a nervine tonic, anabolic and aphrodisiac. It is used also to treat general weakness and

rheumatism.

some of the medicinal plants that we find in india along with their scientific names....

Air Plant (Kalanchoe pinnata/ Bryophyllum pinnatum)

Aloe Vera (Aloe Vera)

Amaltas (Cassia fistula)

Apple Mangrove (Sonneratia caseolaris)

Arjun Tree (Terminalia arjuna)

Arni (Clerodendrum phlomidis)

Arrow Leaf Pondweed (Monochoria hastata)

Arrowleaf Dock (Rumex hastatus)

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

Asian Spider Flower (Cleome viscosa/icosandra)

Banchalita (Leea asiatica)

Bandicoot Berry (Leea indica)

Bara Gokhru (Pedalium murex)

Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)

Barringtonia (Barringtonia acutangula)

Bell Weed (Dipteracanthus prostratus)

Bellyache Bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia)

Bengal Sage (Meriandra benghalensis)

Bhringaraj (Eclipta prostrata/erecta/alba)

Bichchhoo (Meriandra benghalensis)

Bilimbi (Averrhoa bilimbi)

Bird's Head Birthwort (Aristolochia ornithocephala)

Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum)

Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)

Bush Grape (Cayratia trifolia)

Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto)

Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete)

Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis)

History, Background and Present Scenario in Indian Context

The earliest known medical document is a 4000-year-old Sumerian clay tablet that recorded

plant remedies for various illnesses. The ancient Egyptian Ebers papyrus from 3500 year ago

lists hundreds of remedies. The Pun-tsao contains thousands of herbal cures attributed to Shen-

nung, China’s legendary emperor who lived 4500 years ago. In India, herbal medicine dates back

several thousand years to the Rig-Veda, the collection of Hindu sacred verses. The Badianus

Manuscript is an illustrated document that reports the traditional medical knowledge of the

Aztecs

Early Greeks and Romans

Western medicine can be traced back to the Greek physician Hippocrates, who believed that

disease had natural causes and used various herbal remedies in his treatments Early Roman

writings also influenced the development of western medicine, especially the works of

Dioscorides, who compiled information on more than 600 species of plants with medicinal value

in De Materia Medica Many of the herbal remedies used by the Greeks and Romans were

effective treatments that have become incorporated into modern medicine (e.g., willow bark tea,

the precursor to aspirin) Dioscorides’ work remained the standard medical reference in most of

Europe for the next 1500 years

Age of herbals

The beginning of the Renaissance saw a revival of herbalism, the identification of medicinally

useful plants This coupled with the invention of the printing press in 1450 ushered in the Age of

Herbals Many of the herbals were richly illustrated; all of them focused on the medicinal uses of

plants, but also included much misinformation and superstition The Doctrine of Signatures, for

example, held that the medicinal use of plants could be ascertained by recognizing features of the

plant that corresponded to human anatomy For example, the red juice of bloodwort suggests that

it should be used for blood disorders; the lobed appearance of liverworts suggests that it should

be used to treat liver complaints; the “humanoid” form of mandrake root suggests that is should

be used to promote male virility and ensure conception.

Modern prescription drugs

Many of the remedies employed by the herbalists provided effective treatments Studies of

foxglove for the treatment of dropsy (congestive heart failure) set the standard for

pharmaceutical chemistry In the 19th century, scientists began purifying the active extracts from

medicinal plants (e.g., the isolation of morphine from the opium poppy) Advances in the field of

pharmacology led to the formulation of the first purely synthetic drugs based on natural products

in the middle of the 19th century In 1839, for example, salicylic acid was identified as the active

ingredient in a number of plants known for their pain-relieving qualities; salicylic acid was

synthesized in 1853, eventually leading to the development of aspirin It is estimated that 25% of

prescriptions written in the U.S. contain plant-derived ingredients (close to 50% if fungal

products are included); an even greater percentage are based on semisynthetic or wholly

synthetic ingredients originally isolated from plants

Herbal medicine today

While Western medicine strayed away from herbalism, 75% to 90% of the rural population of

the rest world still relies on herbal medicine as their only health care In many village

marketplaces, medicinal herbs are sold alongside vegetables and other wares The People’s

Republic of China is the leading country for incorporating traditional herbal medicine into a

modern health care system; the result is a blend of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and Western

medicine Plantations exist in China for the cultivation of medicinal plants, and thousands of

species are thus available for the Chinese herbalist; prescriptions are filled with measured

amounts of specific herbs rather than with pills or ointments. In India, traditional systems have

remained quite separate from Western medicine In addition to Ayurvedic medicine, which has a

Hindu origin, Unani medicine, with its Muslim and Greek roots, is another widely practiced

herbal tradition in India The renewed interest in medicinal plants has focused on herbal cures

among indigenous populations around the world, especially those in the tropical rain forests It is

hoped that these investigations will add new medicinal plants to the world’spharmacopoeia

before they are lost forever In addition to the destruction of the forests, the erosion of tribal

cultures is also a threat to herbal practices.

Indian Scenario:

Some Medicinal plants

Aloe vera

Aloe vera

Aloe vera plant with flower detail inset.

Aloe vera, also known as the true or medicinal aloe, is a species of succulent plant that probably

originated in the southern half of the Arabian peninsula, Northern Africa, the Canary islands and Cape

Verde. Aloe vera grows in arid climates and is widely distributed in Africa, India and other arid areas.

The species is frequently cited as being used in herbal medicine. Many scientific studies of the use of aloe

vera have been undertaken, some of them conflicting.[1][2][3][4] Despite these limitations, there is some

preliminary evidence that Aloe vera extracts may be useful in the treatment of wound and burn healing,

minor skin infections, Sebaceous cyst, diabetes and elevated blood lipids in humans.[3] These positive

effects are thought to be due to the presence of compounds such as polysaccharides, mannans,

anthraquinones and lectins.[3][5][6]

Aloe vera is a stemless or very short-stemmed succulent plant growing to 60–100 cm (24–39 in) tall,

spreading by offsets. The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing

white flecks on the upper and lower stem surfaces.[7] The margin of the leaf is serrated and has small

white teeth. The flowers are produced in summer on a spike up to 90 cm (35 in) tall, each flower

pendulous, with a yellow tubular corolla 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) long.[7][8] Like other Aloe species, Aloe vera

forms arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis that allows the plant better access to mineral nutrients in soil.[9]

Azadirachta indica Aka NEEM

Neem

Azadirachta indica (Neem) is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the

genus Azadirachta, and is native to India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan,

growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Other vernacular names include Neem (Hindi, Urdu and

Bengali), Nimm (Punjabi), Arya Veppu (Malayalam), Azad Dirakht (Persian), Nimba (Sanskrit and

Marathi), DogonYaro (in some Nigerian languages), Margosa, Neeb (Arabic), Nimtree, Vepu, Vempu,

Vepa (Telugu), Bevu (Kannada), Kohomba (Sinhala), Vembu (Tamil), Tamar (Burmese), sầu đâu, xoan

Ấn Độ (Vietnamese), Paraiso (Spanish), and Indian Lilac (English). In East Africa it is also known as

Muarubaini (Swahili), which means the tree of the 40, as it is said to treat 40 different diseases.

Neem is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of 15–20 m (about 50–65 feet), rarely to 35–40 m

(115–131 feet). It is evergreen, but in severe drought it may shed most or nearly all of its leaves. The

branches are wide spread. The fairly dense crown is roundish or oval and may reach the diameter of 15–

20 m in old, free-standing specimens.

Ocimum tenuiflorumAka TULSI

Tulsi

Ocimum tenuiflorum (also tulsi, tulasī, or Holy Basil) is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae

which is native throughout the Old World tropics and widespread as a cultivated plant and an escaped

weed.[1] It is an erect, much branched subshrub 30-60 cm tall with hairy stems and simple opposite green

leaves that are strongly scented. Leaves have petioles, and are ovate, up to 5 cm long, usually slightly

toothed. Flowers are purplish in elongate racemes in close whorls.[2] There are two main morphotypes

cultivated in India—green-leaved (Sri or Lakshmi tulsi) and purple-leaved (Krishna tulsi).[3]

Tulsi is cultivated for religious and medicinal purposes, and for its essential oil. It is widely known across

South Asia as a medicinal plant and an herbal tea, commonly used in Ayurveda, and has an important role

within the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving Tulsi plants

or leaves.

There is also a variety of Ocimum tenuiflorum which is used in Thai cuisine, and is referred to as Thai

holy basil, or kraphao (กะเพรา)[4]—not be confused with "Thai Basil", which is a variety of Ocimum

basilicum.

Turmeric

Turmeric

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family,

Zingiberaceae.[2] It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C, and

a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive.[3] Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes, and

re-seeded from some of those rhizomes in the following season.

The rhizomes are boiled for several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a

deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in curries and other South Asian and Middle

Eastern cuisine, for dyeing, and to impart color to mustard condiments. Its active ingredient is curcumin

and it has a distinctly earthy, slightly bitter, slightly hot peppery flavor and a mustardy smell.

In medieval Europe, turmeric became known as Indian Saffron, since it was widely used as an

alternative to the far more expensive saffron spice.[4]

Erode, a city in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the world's largest producer and most important

trading center of turmeric in Asia. For these reasons, Erode in history is also known as "Yellow City" [citation

needed] or "Turmeric City".[citation needed] Sangli, a town in the southern part of the Indian western state of

Maharashtra, is the second largest and most important trading center for turmeric in Asia.

Arjun Tree

The common name is Arjun .Its botaical name is Terminalia arjuna.It belongs to a family called

Combretaceae (rangoon creeper family)In Indian mythology, Arjun is supposed to be Sita's favourite

tree.. Arjuna is a large, evergreen tree, with a spreading crown and drooping branches. Grows up to 25 m

height, and the bark is grey and smooth. Leaves are sub-opposite, 5-14 × 2-4.5 cm in size, oblong or

elliptic oblong. Flowers small, white, and occur on long hanging recemes. Fruit is 2.3-3.5 cm long,

fibrous woody, glabrous and has five hard wings, striated with numerous curved veins. Flowering time of

the tree is April-July, in Indian conditions

Some of its medicinal uses are:

Every part of the tree has useful medicinal properties. Arjun holds a reputed

position in both Ayurvedic and Yunani Systems of medicine. According to

Ayurveda it is alexiteric, styptic, tonic, anthelmintic, and useful in fractures, uclers,

heart diseases, biliousness, urinary discharges, asthma, tumours, leucoderma,

anaemia, excessive prespiration etc. According to Yunani system of medicine, it is

used both externally and internally in gleet and urinary discharges.

Amaltas

The common name of this medicinal plant is Amaltas, Golden shower tree, Indian

Laburnum .Its botanical name is Cassia fistula.It belongs to family called

Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)This native of India,, is one of the most

beautiful of all tropical trees when it sheds its leaves and bursts into a mass of long,

grape-bunches like yellow gold flowers. A tropical ornamental tree with a trunck

consisting of hard reddish wood, growing up to 40 feet tall. The wood is hard and

heavy; it is used for cabinet, inlay work, etc. It has showy racemes, up to 2" long,

with bright, yellow, fragrant flowers. These flowers are attractive to bees and

butterflies. The fruits are dark-brown cylindrical pods, also 2' long, which also hold

the flattish, brown seeds (up to 100 in one pod) These seeds are in cells, each

containing a single seed. A postal stamp was issued by the Indian Postal

Department to commemorate this tree.

Its medicinal uses are: The sweet blackish pulp of the seedpod is used as a mild laxative

Asian Spider Flower

The common name of this medicinal plant is Asian spider flower, Yellow spider

flower, Cleome, Tickweed, Bagra (Hindi).Its botanical name is Cleome

viscosa/icosandra It belongs to family called Capparaceae (caper family) .It is

usually tall annual herb, up to a meter in height, more or less hairy with glandular

and eglandular hairs. Leaves 3-5-foliolate, petiolate; leaflets obovate, elliptic-

oblong, very variable in size, often 2-4 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm broad, middle one

largest; petiole up to 5 cm long. Racemes elongated, up to 30 cm long, with

corym¬bose flowers at the top and elongated mature fruits below, bracteate.

Flowers 10-15 mm across, whitish or yellowish; pedicels 6-20 mm long; bracts

foliaceous. Sepals oblong-lanceolate, 3-4 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, glandular-

pubescent. Petals 8-15 mm long, 2-4 mm broad, oblong-obovate. Stamens 10-12

(rarely more, up to 20), not exceeding the petals; gynophore absent. Fruit 30-75

mm long, 3-5 mm broad, linear-oblong, erect, obliquely striated, tapering at both

ends, glandular-pubescent, slender; style 2-5 mm long; seeds many, 1-1.4 mm in

diam., glabrous with longitudinal striations and transverse ridges, dark brown.

Some of its medicinal uses are:

The leaves are diaphoretic, rubefacient and vesicant. They are used as an external

application to wounds and ulcers. The juice of the leaves has been used to relieve

earache. The seeds are anthelmintic, carminative, rubefacient and vesicant. The

seed contains 0.1% viscosic acid and 0.04% viscosin.