Cultivation And Processing Of Selected Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants are important for human health. These plants have been used from the prehistoric times to present day. These plants based medicines are consumed in all civilizations. It is believed that the herbal medicine can give good effect to body without causing side effects to human life. Medicinal plants are not only a major resource base for the traditional medicine & herbal industry but also provide livelihood and health security to a large segment of Indian population. Medicinal plants constitute a large segment of the flora, which provide raw materials for use by various industries. They have been used in the country for a long time for their medicinal properties. These plants are staging a comeback and herbal renaissance is happening all over the globe. The herbal medicines today symbolise safety in contrast to the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to human and environment. Although herbs had been priced for their medicinal, flavouring and aromatic qualities for centuries, the synthetic products of the modern age surpassed their importance, for a while. However, the blind dependence on synthetics is over and people are returning to the naturals with hope of safety and security. Besides, the usage of medical plants has been increasing as an important role that can support the economic system. Ayurveda, the well known indigenous system of medicine, is still regarded as a well organised traditional health care for large sections of rural as well as urban population of India. The medicinal plants sector at present is not well organised and needs special attention. Although different Ministries and Department in the Government sector and NGOs and individuals in the private sectors are making their efforts in different directions, yet there is a need to co ordinate and systematize. The medical plants for health are used as herbal treatments and therapies that can be new habits for culture. The market is very competitive and could easily be oversupplied. This book basically deals with therapeutic potential of medicinal plants, medicinal plants priorities in Indian medicines diverse studies and implications, recent developments of some natural products, production and management of medical plants on farms, classification, identification and naming of medicinal plants, pests and pest management in medicinal plants, Ajmalicine (Raubasine): a medicinally important alkaloid from catharanthus roseus (vinca rosea), cultivation of rutin bearing eucalyptus species, iridoids and secoiridoids of the genus swertia, studies on medico ethnobotany, tropical periwinkle, tulsi, etc. The present book covers cultivation practices of selected commercially important medicinal plants with their processing details and uses. The book is very resourceful for medicinal plants growers, professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs and agriculture universities.

In describing medicinal plant cultivation, this book deals with the controlling possibilities of biological, economical and technical parameters, which influence the efficiency of the cultivation. It also looks at the special requirements needed for the primary processing of medicinal plants.

Make sure your crops are market-ready with the aid of harvest and post-harvest mechanization Medicinal and Aromatic Crops presents harvest and post-harvest mechanization methods for the profitable production of market-ready medicinal crops. This practical handbook includes photos, detailed figures, and schematic drawings of machines that will help bring existing design ideas to life and inspire new ones for use in harvesting and primary processing. The book also includes general information on medicinal and aromatic plants, current production trends, and “how-to” instructions for improving the production process. Even though the use of mechanization contributes not only to a marked increase in production, but also enables uniform quality and a decrease in drudgery for everyone involved, there’s a distinct lack of material available of the subject. Medicinal and Aromatic Crops fills in the gap, providing a thorough, comprehensive look at every aspect of the mechanism of growing, harvesting, and processing, including production steps and procedures, safety and quality, plant drying, the use of renewable energy sources, dry processing, extraction, industrial usage, financial analysis, and software usage. Medicinal and Aromatic Crops examines: environmental concerns manual and semi-mechanized harvesting transport the use of solar energy and solid biomass energy pre- and post-drying processes plant parts removal cutting, crushing, and milling post-drying separation and classification water and steam distillation and much more! Medicinal and Aromatic Crops is an invaluable guide to harvest and post-harvest mechanization for anyone involved in plant production and for agriculture educators and students.

Medicinal plant research is an evergreen subject. There is a tremendous increase in popularity of herbal medicine in traditional medicine, ethnomedicine, modern medicine and as over the counter food supplements. Even after this increased demand, supply is neither uniform nor assured as most of these plants are collected from wild. In developing countries of tropical and subtropical regions where majority of herbal drugs are produced, this is not organised sector making it vulnerable to several malpractices, hence standardization of all aspects required. This has also negative impact on biodiversity and conservation of plants as well as supply of uniform material. This book is aimed to provide up to date information about sustainable use of selected medicinal plants, their active ingredients and efforts made to domesticate them to ensured uniform supply. Development of agrotechnology, biotechnology and cultivation practices using conventional and non-conventional methods are presented. Where these efforts will lead the medicinal plant research and future perspective are discussed. The chapters are written by well recognised group leaders in working in the field. The book contains topics on general biology of medicinal plants, their sustainable use and, cultivation and domestication efforts. A uniform chapter structure has been designed to keep consistency. The book will be useful for academicians, agriculturists, biotechnologists and researcher, and industries involved in manufacturing herbal drugs and supplementary products.

This is the second volume in a series of monographs which are intended to promote information exchange and international harmonised standards for the quality control and use of herbal medicines. It contains scientific information on 30 selected plants, and each entry includes a pharmacopoeial summary for quality assurance purposes, information on its clinical application and sections on contraindications, pharmacology, safety issues, and dosage forms. It provides two cumulative indexes with entries in alphabetical order by plant name and according to the plant material of interest.

Medicinal herbs are the local heritage with global importance. World is endowed with a rich wealth of medicinal herbs. The Variety and sheet number of plants with therapeutic properties is quite astonishing. Medicinal herbs have curative properties due to presence of various complex chemical substance of different composition, which are found as secondary plant metabolites in one or more parts of these plants. These plant metabolites, according to their composition, are grouped as alkaloids, glycosides, corticosteroids, essential oils etc. During the past decade, a dramatic increase in exports of medicinal herbs attests to worldwide interest in these products as well as in traditional health systems. The pharmaceutical industries have made massive investment on pharmacological, clinical and chemical researches all over the world in past five decades. Efforts have been made to discover still more potent plant drugs. The benefits of these efforts would reach to the masses in future in farmers initiate commercial cultivation of medicinal herbs. In fact, agricultural studies on medicinal herbs, by its very nature, demand an equally large investment and higher priority. India, in particular, has a big scope for the development of pharmaceutical and physiochemical industry. The medical plants for health are used as herbal treatments and therapies that can be new habits for culture. Medicinal plants constitute a large segment of the flora, which provide raw materials for use by various industries. They have been used in the country for a long time for their medicinal properties. These plants are staging a comeback and herbal renaissance is happening all over the globe. The herbal medicines today symbolise safety in contrast to the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to human and environment. This book illustrates the cultivation, utilization of Abelmoschus Moschatus, Abroma Augusta, Abrus Precatorius, Abutilon Indicum, Acacia Arabica, Acacia Catechu,AcaciaFernesiana, Acanthus Ilicifolius, Achillea Millefolium, Achyranthes Aspera, Aconitum Napellus, Aconitum Heterophyllum,Acorus Calamus, Adansonia Degitata, Adina Cordifolia Adhatoda Vasika, Adonis Vernalis, Aegle Marmels, Aerua Lanata, Aesculus Hippocastanum, Aethusa Cynapium etc. The book contains systematic account of the most important plants used in medicines. Each chapter covers botanical description, parts used, Ayurvedic properties, clinical uses, constituents with the figure of the plant. This book will be very useful for those working on medicinal plants, natural products, entrepreneurs, libraries, consultant, research scholars etc.

A detailed discussion of the need to conserve medicinal plants and their environments.

As the medicinal plant industry blooms into a billion dollar business, it reaches beyond collection, propagation, harvesting and sale of crude vegetal drugs into product formulation, packaging and dispensing of sophisticated phyto-pharmaceuticals and herbal preparations. The scientific study of these medicines and the systematic uplifting of the industry to preserve the ancient and serve the modern, is now a global challenge. The Medicinal Plant Industry puts together the various facets of this multi-disciplinary industry and its global interest. It discusses the dire need for developing countries to acquire technologies and techniques for programmed cultivation of medicinal plants. It addresses a wide variety of topics including the old philosophies, modern impact of traditional medicines, and methods of assessing the spontaneous flora for industrial utilization. It covers aspects of cultivation and climatic variations, biological assessment and formulation, process technologies, phytochemical research and information sources. The book reviews highly developed traditional medicine in China and India, and covers experiences in Africa and other continents.