Medicinal & Aromatic plants cultivation- A Tale of Two Cultures in India

Ancient medicinal & aromatic plants have paved way for robust health, a big concern for every
human. Presently, the human health regime has been achieving new dimensions every year on the shoulders
of burgeoning pharmaceutical industries across the nation. The Indian pharmaceutical Industry stands at the
4th rank by volume & the 13th in value today, fulfills its intensive demands from these medicinal and
aromatic plants, however it raised questions linked to the proper followed by the sustainable management of
the various medicinal plants found in the country. Hence, the demand & supply of these medicinal plants
invokes a confluence of the two cultures related to the human health systems- the medicinal & the aromatic
plants that, practically, need to be used so wisely that could lead to the betterment of these life saving
medicinal plants in India.
Medicinal Plants Market
Medicinal plants that have been treating a wide range of human diseases since millennia are
providing crude drugs to more that 70 % of the human population to get rid of various human draconian
diseases for a long while. From asthma to cancer and the like, these medicinal plant species has been curing
human and animal at very nominal prizes. Interestingly, following the developmental trajectory of the
medicinal systems in India, the tribals and the rural folks dwelling nearabout the forests have been the first
ones using these medicinal plants by different names, characteristics and usage.
There are around 6000 species of medicinal plants, out of which, 960 species have secured the sizable
market status of lately. Still, Only 176 species had been trading voluminously > 100 MT annually in the
country confirmed data recorded in the ancient medicinal accounts such as, the Ayurveda, the Sidha, the
Unani, the Swa-rigpa, the Homeopathy and the etho-botanical literature.
The market size of medicinal plants is rapidly growing day after day. In India, it is estimated to be in
the range of 5.5 billion US dollars (Axim Bank reports-1997), whereas internationally, the herbal market
stands at $ 62 billion, expected to see a big surge in the time to come. India has more than 9,000 herbal
industries and a multitude of unregistered cottage level herbal units, which have been thriving on the supply
of medicinal plant species regularly.
Herbal Industries in India
Major herbal industries that are producing major herbal products worth millions in India are only a
few namely; the Dabur, the Zandu and the Baidhyanath. They are the major medicinal plants guzzling
industries with an annual turnover more than Rs 8 crores ,and the corresponding trade exceeding 300,00 MT
for the year 2005-06 in the country. However, rural households demand was also analyzed across five Indian
states amongst more than 1200 rural families, the result evidenced that Amla (embilica officinalis) tops the
list of highly consumed botanical raw drug, followed by Isabgol (Pysillium Husk), Senna (Leaves &
powder), Henna and Myrobalance all stand for 70 per cent consumptions.
Dominate Medicinal Plants of NEH Region
The herbal potentiality of the NEH Region is mighty and emerging, where more than 1800 medicinal
plants, belonging to above 200 families, were identified from the region by various institutions through
channeling the adjacent villager communities & the herbal practionners in networking with the research
institutes to voluble technical guidance for the people in the region, till now. However, the findings pinpoint
that there are approximately 19 genera used highly in the region. They are as follows. (Refer Table No-1).
Table-1
Genus
Allium
Alpinia

Species
A.ascolonicum, A. cepa (Onions), A. hookri, A. odorum, A. satium (cultivated garlic)
A. allughas, A. bracteata, A galanga, A. nigra, A. officinarum

Cassia (Cinnamon)
Citrus (Lemon)
Curcuma (Ginger
family)
Dioscorea
Euphorbia
Ficus
(sacred
plants)
Litsea (oil)
Musa (Banana)
Ocimum (Culinary
herb)
Phyllanthus
(Medidcinal value)
Piper (Black paper)

C. Alata, C.fistula, C. hirsute, C. occidentalis

C. assamica
C. amada, C.aromatica, C. caesia, C. domestica, C.longa, C. maxima,C. zedoaria (Turmeric)
D. Alata, D. bulbefera, D. esculanta, D. pentaphylla
E.Antiquroum, E.hirta, E.lingularia, E.nerifolia, E.pulcherima, E.royleana
F.Benghalensis (Banyan tree), F.erecta, F.glomerata, F.heterophylla, F.pumila, F.racemosa,
F.rumphili, F.semicordata, F.subincisa
L.Citrate, L.cubeba, L glutinosa, L kingie, L polyalthia, salcifolia
M.Champa, M indica, M.paradisical, M.sapientum, M. velutina
O.Amaricanum, O. baslicum, O. canum, O. grattisimum, O. kilimandscharicum, O. sanctum
P. Acidus, P. amaras, P.distilus, P. emelica, P. fraternus, P. urinaria

P. Betel, P. P. beteloides, P. diffusim, P. khasianum, P. longum, P. mullesua, P. nigrum, P.

sylvaticum, P. thomsonii
Solanum
P. Ferox, P. indicum, P. khasianum, P. melongena, P. nigrum, P. sodomaceaum, P. spirale, P.
(Vegetable, Tomato stramonifollium, P. torvum, P. xanthocarpum
family)
Syzigium (Clove)
S.Jambos, S.aromaticum (Clove), S.operculatum, S. syzigioides
Stephania
S. Elangas, S.glandulifera, S.hermandifolia, S. japonica, S. maw
(Medicinal plants)
Zanthoxylum
Z. Zanthoxylum, Z. acanthopodium, Z. armatum, Z.hamiltonianum, Z.limonella, Z. nitidium
(Culinary
&
Medicinal)
Source: Herbal Wealth of Northeast India KK Bhutani

Amongst theses, the most dominant medicinal important is the Fabaceae family (pea/legume family)
having 56 species found in the region, followed by Asteraceae (sunflower family), Euphorbiacea (cyathium),
Zingeberaceae (Ginger family), Lamiacae (Mint family), Rutaceae (Citrus family), Poaceae (Grass family),
Solanaceae (Tomato, Dathura family), Verbenaceae (Verbana family).
Industrial demands from the different pharmaceutical industries and the prevailing medical systems
have intensified the species-specific hunt, which is signaling serious thereat to numerous endemic medicinal
plant species in the region. However, the sustainable cultivation through government interventions among
the local growers, traders, NGOs, and other local medical practioners in the country has to be maintained by
the National Medicinal Plants Board of India-(NMPB). The aim of this board is to study the demand &
supply of medicinal plants country-wise, under the department of AYUSH, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Government of India.
Technological guidance on the vital Medicinal Plants in the NEH
There are 1200 botanical raw drugs plus available
in the market, prepared from the 960 species only.
That the drug market is growing by leaps and by
bounds, the indiscriminating use of vital natural
medicinal plants might be in place leading to the
extinction of many life saving medicinal plants.
So, under the scenario, meaningful dialogues,
conversations amongst villagers, NGOs, traders,
tribal farmers, herbal practioners, and the state
officials is of utmost importance to use natural
resource in sustainable ways in the NEH Region.
In this context, the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research, Barapani, with financial aid from the
Pic-1 Farmers during the training programme at
NMPB, provides training on awareness of the
Mawkyrdep village.

endemic medicinal plants to the farmers & herbal practioners in the region.
Recently held training programme in the Mawkyrdep village, under Ri-bhoi district, Meghalaya, is
one such joint efforts. The ICAR has been working as facilitation Center on medicinal plants imparting
technical guidance to the locally available talented resources engaging in the medical profession at village
level, says Dr. KP Mohapatra, ICAR, Barapani.
During the training programme, the farmers and the local herbal practioners have also exchanged
general ideas about the plant extracts to cure many animal & human diseases.
I have been treating the residents of my village along with the neighborhood villagers complaining
of headache, throat pain, stomach pain
and even malaria by these plants extracts of
locally available plants since a long while,
says Klephus Mashring, a local herbal
practioners of the Mawkyrdep village.
Aloe Vera () found in Assam,
Nagaland & Sikkim are used in skin burns,
diabetes, jaundice, dizziness and fever also
finds its place in the field of cosmetics. This is
applied on the facial tissues to promote
moisturizer. Whereas, Alpinia galanga,
belonging to ginger family, is another useful
medicinal plants used in cooking globally, and in
Pic-2- Herbal medicines shown by local practionner
the medicinal systems used to cure rheumatism,
at Mawkyrdep village.
skin disease, fever, and abortifacient. It grows on
the soils of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Sikkim, informed the ICAR Scientist, Puran
Chandra.
The National Medicinal Plants Board seeking the demand & supply of medicinal plants confirms that
the herbal trade could invite fresh troubles to spices-specific hunt for medicinal plants from the forests, either
to fulfill the herbal industry demand or the domestic. Excessive exploitation of any species is uneconomical
and unsustainable for the environment. Furthermore, the herbal industries demand surging along with the
target of their respective export worth billion of US dollars, in the offing. That could lead to the
indiscriminating harvesting of species-specific medicinal plants out of the forests. Presents status reveals that
the local practioners, students, researchers and various other interested raw drug makers spreading out across
the country had made many wild species vulnerable, and finally to the status of extinction of species
thereof. The problem is persistent and deepening now as the demand and supply up scaling, which needed
sustainable solutions in the time to come.
By Anil Singh Solanki
NAIP-MASSMEDIA-NEH, BARAPANI.