Medicinal Plant Biodiversity, Conservation and Health Protection: A Review

Abstract

Medicinal plants have divine power to treat our physical and mental health. Since a long time in India is known as its traditional medicinal systems based on utilization of various plants, such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Folk, Homeopathy, Tibetan etc. medical systems are also found in ancient literature. In Vedas many references are available on the plants which are used as medicine to cure common and rare diseases. Medicinal plants have vast biodiversity in India, from Himalayan range in north to kanya kumari in south and from the desert of Rajasthan and Gujrat to assam, west Bengal in east India. Biodiversity is being destroyed due to global environmental changes, such as, changes in atmospheric composition, land degradation, depletion of fisheries, blindly use of water resources, cutting of forests etc. For save this biodiversity of medicinal plants, conservation of plants is very necessary. The Permaculture technology can be effective for conservation of such plants. Many plants have considered sacred in India from historical time by various communities. The most outstanding examples are the Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa), Banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis). More than a hundred such species of plants in India are considered sacred as well as medicinal values, such as Neem tree (Azadirachta indica), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Adusa (Adhatoda vasica), Arjun (terminallia arjuna), bel (aegle marmelose), Amla (Emblica officinalis), Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia), Sarpgandha (Rauwolfia serpentina), Ashwagandha (Withania somniferum), Chandan (Santalum album) and many more. The objectives of this review article to aware the laymen about conservation of biodiversity of these sacred and medicinal plants.

Keywords: Biodiversity, Conservation, Medicinal plants, Sacred plants, Environmental changes.