Medicinal plants of India

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Revision as of 12:05, 27 August 2008

Introduction Traditional medicines are used by about 60 per cent of the world's population. These are not only used for primary health care not just in rural areas in developing countries, but also in developed countries as well where modern medicines are predominantly used. While the traditional medicines are derived from medicinal plants, minerals, and organic matter, the herbal drugs are prepared from medicinal plants only. Use of plants as a source of medicine has been inherited 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 western world also, the use of herbal medicines is steadily growing with approximately 40 per cent of population reporting use of herb to treat medical illnesses within the past year. Public, academic and government interest in traditional medicines is growing exponentially due to the increased incidence of the adverse drug reactions and economic burden of the modern system of medicine. There are about 45,000 plant species in India, with concentrated hotspots 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 appropriately called the botanical garden of the world. There are currently about 250 000 registered medical practitioners of the Ayurvedic system (total for all traditional systems: approximately 291 000), as compared to about 700,000 of the modern medicine system. In rural India, 70 per cent of the population is dependent on the traditional system of medicine, the Ayurveda.

Some Medicinal Plants of India

Air Plant Aloe Vera Amaltas Apple Mangrove Arjun Tree Arni Arrow Leaf Pondweed Arrowleaf Dock Ashwagandha Asian Spider Flower Banchalita Bandicoot Berry Bara Gokhru Barbados Cherry Barringtonia Bell Weed Bellyache Bush Bengal Sage Bhringaraj Bichchhoo Bilimbi Bird's Head Birthwort Black Nightshade Brahmi Bush Grape Cabbage Palm Calabash Tree Castor Oil Plant Cat's Whiskers Catnip Ceylon Hydrolea Chameleon Plant Chaste Tree Chebulic Myrobalan Chicory Chinese Cucumber Chinese Wedelia Chir Pine Chirayita Chitra Chitrak Chives Coffee Plum Comfrey Common Crape Myrtle Common Leucas Common Rock Jasmine Common Yarrow Crested Lepidagathis Curry Leaf Desert Hyacinth Dwarf Morning Glory Dwarf Rhododendron East Indian Arrowroot East Indian Globe Thistle East-Indian Screw Tree Elegant False Tamarisk Elephant Foot Eucalyptus Fever Nut Feverfew Fiji Arrowroot Fire Flame Bush Flax Fried Egg Tree Frog Fruit Gamhar Garden Asparagus Garlic Pear Tree Gaub Giant Mexican Sunflower Giant Potato Glory Bower Goanese Ipecac Goat Weed Graceful Sandmat Great Morinda Green Milkweed Creeper Ground Cherry Guest Tree Gulbel Gummy Gardenia Gurmar Hairy Agrimony Hatchet Cactus Henbane Hill Glory Bower Hill Gynura Hill Turmeric Himalaya Onion Himalayan Bugle Himalayan Hogweed Himalayan Milk Vetch Himalayan Thorowax Holostemma Creeper Honeyweed Hophead Horned Lousewort Horse Mint Horse Nettle Indian Barberry Indian Borage Indian Kudzu Indian Mallow Indian Nightshade Indian Pavetta Indian Pennywort Indian Sarsaparilla Indian Squirrel Tail Indian Tree of Heaven Indian Tulip Tree Indian Valerian Indian Willow Indian Wormwood Indrajao Ironwood Tree Jackal Jujube Jeevak Kakronda Kali Musli Kamala Tree Kariyat Karvy Kasturi Kamal Katsagon Kidney Leaf Morning Glory Kumarika Lal Chitrak Lavang Lata Leafless Mistletoe Little Ironweed Long Leaved Alysicarpus Long Pepper Love in a Mist Madhavi Lata Madras Carpet Magenta Plant Mahua Malabar Catmint Malabar Nut Malay Apple Marsh Barbel Maulsari Mousetail Plant Nag Kesar Nepal Dock Nepal Hogweed Nepal Mahonia Nettle Leaved Lindenbergia Nongmangkha Opium Poppy Oriental Pepper Oval Leaf Pondweed Perennial Buckwheat Persian Lilac Phalsa Pink Catmint Pithraj Tree Pongam Tree Porcupine Flower Prickly Chaff Flower Prickly Sow-Thistle Puncture Vine Queen Crape Myrtle Quick Weed Red Sandalwood Red Spiderling River Beauty Rudravanti Rue Safflower Sage Leaved Alangium Salaparni Sarpagandha Satawari Sausage Tree Sea Mango Sensitive Smithia Sessile Joyweed Shell Ginger Shepherd's Purse Shisham Shrub Vinca Siam Weed Singkrang Sita Ashok Snake Jasmine Snow Lotus South Indian Mahua Sow Thistle Spade Flower Spanish Needles Spiked Ginger Lily Stem Clasping Ligularia Sticky Daisy Stinking Cassia Stone Flower Sugar Apple Sweet Broom Weed Sweet Indrajao Takoli Tanner's Cassia Thickhead Thorny Nightshade Toothache Plant Travelers Joy Tree Bean Triangular Spurge Tulsi Two-toothed Chaff Flower Velvet Bean Vervain Water Willow West Indian Indigo White Dead Nettle Wild Guava Wild Indigo Wild Snake Root Wild Turmeric Winged Prickly Ash Yellow Dots Yellow Himalayan Raspberry Yellow Jasmine Yellow Nicker