Legumes, the group of pulses and related plants, are a very important component of global bioresources, more particularly in the tropics and the subtropics. Apart from the various industrial and other uses, such as sources of tannins, dyes, forage and fodder, green manure, timber, fibres, beverages, oil etc., the legumes play a very significant role in human nutrition and medicine. There are about 179 genera and 1,152 species of legumes recorded from India. The enormous economic potential of a very large number of species of the legumes in India has not been fully realized. In addition to published information, there is extensive ethnobotanical information on the uses of legumes. There is an unlimited scope for bioprospecting diverse chemical compounds in Indian legumes. A sustainable utilization of the Indian legumes requires a consolidated knowledge base for stock taking and to prevent duplication of future research efforts. The present two parts work is conceived against this background. The first part contains: A survey of economically important legumes in India, identifying 18 important uses of 719 legume species (Caesalpiniaceae 124, Fabaceae 504, and Mimosaceae 91), giving the currently valid botanical names and synonyms;
Basic scientific information needed to understand the chemistry and the implications of legume species in various contexts; Information on (i) the distribution of various classes of chemical compounds and their uses, (ii) nutritive value of edible legumes, and (iii) the anti-nutritional and toxic factors in them; and Information on legumes used in different traditional and modern systems of medicine. The second part contains information profiles 45 species of the Caesalpiniaceae, 198 species of the Fabaceae and 46 species of the Mimosaceae, in the following format, and arranged alphabetically under each family. Currently valid botanical name, synonyms, notes on important aspects, common names in English, Indian vernacular names, geographical distribution, botanical description, phytochemistry, edibility, medicinal uses, bioactivity, toxicology, clinical studies, uses in alternative systems of medicine, ethnomedicine, medicinal uses outside India, and non-medicinal uses. Information under these items is given in the alphabetical order. This work is expected to be of immense use to administrators, policy makers and conservationists, besides students, teachers and researchers in botany, environmental and economic botany, biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, and agricultural sciences. With its emphasis on traditional systems of medicine this work should be of great use to doctors in indigenous Indian medical systems.
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