Author(s):
Moumita Sinha, Pragya Gajendra, Mitashree Mitra
Email(s):
moumita4n6@ gmail.com
Address:
SoS Anthropology. Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur - 492 010, India
SoS Anthropology, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur - 492 010, India
SoS Anthropology. P Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur - 492 010, India.
Published In:
Volume - 29,
Issue - 1,
Year - 2016
Cite this article:
Sinha, Gajendra and Mitra (2016). Need of Medicinal Plant Policy in India. Journal of Ravishankar University (Part-B: Science), 29(1), pp.120.
PP-A13
Need of
Medicinal Plant Policy in India
Moumita Sinha, Pragya Gajendra
and Mitashree Mitra
SoS Anthropology. Pt. Ravishankar
Shukla University, Raipur - 492 010, India
SoS Anthropology, Pt. Ravishankar
Shukla University, Raipur - 492 010, India
SoS Anthropology. P Ravishankar
Shukla University, Raipur - 492 010, India
Corresponding author email:
moumita4n6@ gmail.com
(Received
1S January 2016, accepted 25 January 2016)
Abstract: With growing
interest in medicinal plants, the need of the hour is a long term strategy to
conserve and sustainably harvest these plant products The uses of medicinal
plants in India and many other developing countries can be considered a living
tradition The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the primary health
care needs of approximately 80 per cent of the developing world's population
are met by traditional medicine. Traditional medicine systems range from the
Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and Tibetan in India. The traditional systems of
medicine largely depend on natural resources for their medicines, out of which
plants form the bulk of the mendicine Plant use in traditional Indian health
systems goes back a long way. Ancient medical texts bear evidence of the use of
plants for veterinary use, for plant health and also for textiles (vegetable
dyes), cosmetics and perfume. This kind of use is prevalent even today. The All
India Ethnobiology Survey caried out by the Ministry of Environment and Forests
estimates that over 7,500 species of plants are estimated to be used by 4,635
ethnic communities for human and veterinary health care across the country.
With the onset of urhanisation and the lure of jobs to urban areas, also with
the spread of aloputhic primary health care to remote rural areas, traditional
knowledge is being lost and traditional systems eroding The koss of ethno
botanical knowledge in particular has also accelerated the depletion of plants
of medicinal value. Indigenous communities, because of their intimate knowledge
of the ecosystem and elements therein, knew how to harvest plants while the
species could maintain its population at natural or near natural levels and
ensure that the level of harvest will not change the species composition. With
this loss of traditional knowledge, we are fast losing the ethical means which
ensure a sustainable harvest. Efforts to conserve medicinal plants are becing
made throughout the country, but are scattered. There is a requuirement of a
long-term strategic and encompassing law which can account existing efforts and
suggests other ways to conserve and sustainably harvest medicinal plants
Keywords: Pant policy,
Traditonal medicine