Medicinal Plants

RAVI'S MEDIPLANTS CORNER
Medicinal Plants- History ~ 60 million BP: Flowering plants emerge – evolve phytochemical defenses against phytovores~ 6 million BP: primates evolve into primitive man-~ 50,000 BP: Man learns the art of cooking (meat).~18000 BP: Man crosses the Bering Bridge , opening up the New World, comes into contact with the new world spp. Such as Capsicum, Osmorrhiza, Sassafras etc. ~8000 BP: Indus-valley Civilization, cultivation of many crops including sesamum. ~6000 BP: Sumerians used licorice and opium; Fenugreek identified in Iraq. In India the Ayurvedic system of medicine started evolving~5000 BP: Charak codifies the Ayurvedic system – Charak samhitha

Medicinal Plants- History
~ 60 million BP: Flowering plants emerge – evolve phytochemical defenses against phytovores
~ 6 million BP: primates evolve into primitive man-
~ 50,000 BP: Man learns the art of cooking (meat).
~18000 BP: Man crosses the Bering Bridge , opening up the New World, comes into contact with the new world spp. Such as Capsicum, Osmorrhiza, Sassafras etc.
~8000 BP: Indus-valley Civilization, cultivation of many crops including sesamum.
~6000 BP: Sumerians used licorice and opium; Fenugreek identified in Iraq.
In India the Ayurvedic system of medicine started evolving
~5000 BP: Charak codifies the Ayurvedic system – Charak samhitha

Medicinal Plants : in ancient India
Medicinal Plants Classification by Charaka
50 Groups (Vargas)
1. Jeevaneeyam – Promoting life – 10 plants
2. Brimhaneeyam – Promoting growth – 10 plants
3. Lekhaniyam – Reducing growth – 10 plants
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50. Vayasthaapana – Imparting youthfulness – 10 plants
Classification by Susrutha- 38 ganas


1. Vidaarandhyadigana – counteracts vata and pitta (19 Nos.)
2. Aaragwadhaadigana – checks kapha and poison (20 Nos.)
3. Varunadigana – checks kapha and medas (22 Nos.)
35. Dasamoola - 5 Kaneeyapanchamoola + 5 Mahapanchamoola -
checks kapha, pitta and vayu, curative of all ‘jwaras’
38. Trinapanchamoola – cures disorders of urine & raktapitta

Classification of Vagbhata 33 Groups (Ganas)
1. Vamanoushadhagana – Emetics (21 Nos.)
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Syaamaadigana – checks gulma, visha, aruchi, kapha, hridroga and mootrakrichra (16 Nos.)

Ayurvedic MPs- scenario in India
•No. of plants used in Ayurveda – 1769
•Plants having direct Med. use – 7500
•New claims and leads – 950
•Used as pesticides and allied uses – 350
•Used as biopesticides – 175
•App. 4635 Ethnic communities of India use about 9500 plants for healthcare
India has the richest, oldest and most diverse cultural traditions in the use of MPs.


BIODIVERSITY IN RELATION TO MEDI.PLANTS
India – One of the 12 mega diversity regionsF
8% of the global Bd.
45000 plant spp.
16 Agroclimatic zones
10 Vegetation zones
426 unique habitats
# 30 m. (guesstimate) microorganismsF
15 biotic provinces

India- 2 hot spots;
Hot spot concept IS based on endemism- hotspots have high concentration of endemic species facing imminent habitat destruction.
India has more endemic species than other regions except Australia.
315 flowering plant families occur in India out of the 400- and a total of 15300 flowering plant species.

Wait for next issue...more on medi-plants of India.
Posted by Dr PN Ravindran at 7:14 AM
Labels: Indian Medicinal Plants
PN Ravindran