Ethnomedicinal Plants

The history of herbal medicines is as old as human civilization. For the sustenance and survival, man has to depend on nature. To keep himself healthy he has to use medicinal plants. Nature, by its very design, provides a remedy for nearly any disease that may afflict a human being. In the past, almost all the medicines were from the plants, the plant being man’s only chemist for ages. Since the beginning of humankind people have relied primarily on plants for nourishment. Through trial and error they discovered that some plants are good for food, that some are poisonous, and that some produce bodily changes such as increased perspiration, bowel movement, urination, relief of pain, hallucination, and healing. Over the millennia these from generation to generation, with each generation adding to and refining the body of knowledge. every culture and world over has in this manner developed a body of herbal knowledge as part of its tradition. The understanding of the use of medicinal plants for remedies is accumulated into a traditional knowledge of health care. The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the people in developing countries of the world rely on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs, and about 85% of traditional medicine involves the use of plant extracts. In India medicinal plants sector has traditionally occupied an important position in the socio cultural, spiritual and medicinal arena of rural and tribal lives. Traditional medicine is widely used in India, particularly in rural areas, where 70% of the population lives. Apart from classical systems practiced viz., Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani innumerable local folk medicinal traditions also exist. In India about 2,500 plant species belonging to more than 1,000 genera are used by traditional healers. Traditional knowledge on medicinal plants is becoming more popular in all over the world. It provides remedy for all diseases that may afflict human being. Through thisbook we provides valuable information on medicinal plants for treating common ailments by the tribal people and the traditional healers who gained such knowledge through experience from generation to generation in the form of folk medicine. In this book we described botanical name, synonyms, vernacular names, details of botanical identity, parts of the plants used, mode of administration of the drug and diseases for which the given plants are used for 389 medicinal plant species belongs to 103 families. All of these medicinal plants have been arranged on the basis of taxonomic characters. Some most important plants were photographed in live condition to bring out the exomorphic features and floral parts; 172 of these plants have been presented in 43 plates. Bentham and Hooker’s system of classification have been followed for arranging the plant families.