ABSTRACT:
India is one of the 12 mega bio-diverse countries of the world accounting for 7.8% of the glohally reconded snn nch in traditional and indigenous knowledge. Convention of Biological Diversity (1992) recognizes contributicns of kee and indigenous communities to the conservation and sustainable utilization of biological resources thrugh tradio knowledge and practices The National and State Forest Policies emphasize the need for conserving the natural heritagr Cuntry by preserving remaining natural forest with many varieties of flora and fauna, which represents a remurkable hiologcal diversity and genetic resource of the country The principal aims of the Forest Policy is to ensure envirunmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance including atmospheric equilibrium for substance of all forms of life ie human, animal and plant. Chhattisgarh, the Premier Herbal State of India possesses a nch and diverse cultural traditom upheld by thousands of herbalists, bone setters and spinitual healers. The State has enormous stock of rare and endangm medicinal plants which can address the growing global demand on herbal medicine. Traditional healers have nich know lodge and expertise in rendering miraculous cure to various ailments by administration of crude herbal formulations. For scientife validation and documentation of these crude herbal formulations, an Ethnobotanical survey has been conducted in 21 trih dominant forest areas and 3399 herbal formulations were documented by interviewing 418 traditional healers. These dala were primarily validated and 86 herbal formulations were identified for commercial production and 47 formulations fr further research to develop new herbal drugs. This research work is under process with assistance of Central Council e Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Gol for four herbal formulations viz. Piles, Jaundice, Leuconhoca and Wound bealing Few more areas have been identified for further research. The State has already taken steps for registration d traditional healers and their healing practices for IPR and patent issues. All the above mentioned claims have been forwarded to Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Gol with prior consent of traditional healers in prescribed clam e furma To promote herbul health care practices and satisfy the primary health care needs primarily in the remote tribal rural areas, a large number of Vanaushdhalayas (Herbal Medicine Dispensaries) are established and operated by the selecio traditional healers There is a need to license and legalize promising local treatment practices of traditional healers. There an urgent need to develop and execute appropriate regulatory mechanism to curb unscrupulous tradition of medicinal pa and to protect intellectual property regime of indigenous communities of the state.