Aryana Libris

Authors : Handa Sukhdev Swami - Rakesh Dev Dutt - Vasisht Karan
Title : Compendium of medicinal and aromatic plants Volume 2 Asia
Year : 2006

Link download : Handa_Sukhdev_Swami_-_Compendium_of_medicinal_and_aromatic_plants_Asia.zip

Preface. Asia is the world’s most densely populated continent with sixty percent of the world’s people living there. It is one of the largest biodiversity regions in the world and home to some of the countries richest in medicinal and aromatic plant resources. It has diverse plant flora however, species richness is concentrated mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. Six of the world’s 18 biodiversity hot-spots: the Eastern Himalayas, the Western Ghats of South India, North Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines are part of Asia. The continent has well documented traditional knowledge, a longstanding practice of traditional medicine and potential for socio-economic development of medicinal and aromatic plants in primary healthcare and industrial scale production. Medicinal and aromatic plants constitute the basis of primary healthcare for the majority of the population and are a valuable source of income for rural populations. Approximately 90% of plants is still collected from forests. Only a few countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam produce medicinal and aromatic plants through cultivation on a commercial scale. Despite advances in western medicine, ancient traditional systems of medicine are practised in Asia mainly because of historical circumstances and cultural believes. Medicinal plants are an accessible, affordable and culturally appropriate source of primary healthcare for more than 80% of the Asian population according to the World Health Organization. Indian Ayurveda along with Jamu, Kampo, Sidha, Tibetan, TCM and Unani systems of medicine are an important source of health and livelihood for millions of Asian people. International and national trade in alternative medicine including herbal products is increasing rapidly. The estimated global trade in medicinal and aromatic plant materials was more than US$60 billion in 2000, and is expected to reach US$5 trillion by 2050 according to the World Bank report. China and India are the world’s leading exporters of medicinal and aromatic plant materials. Various international organization such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and others have been addressing issues concerning medicinal and aromatic plants through support for research, networking and coordination. However, the biodiversity of medicinal and aromatic plants has yet to be studied in depth in many countries. Commercial exploitation, unsustainable use, cultural changes and lack of institutional support have threatened resources and local traditional knowledge. A number of countries are developing national policies on traditional medicines to cover quality and safety. Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal and Pakistan maintain considerable natural forest cover and are still able to collect plants from the wild. A few countries including China, India and Sri Lanka have formulated legislation to conserve their natural resources of medicinal and aromatic plants. Many other countries in the region have ceased the practice of collecting from the wild. There is a need for coordination among the various institutes of the region working on medicinal plants and traditional medicines in order to exploit them commercially and utilize them fully. The International Centre for Science and High Technology (ICS-UNIDO) has prepared this Compendium of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Asia to present the status of medicinal and aromatic plants of Asian countries. The Compendium gives information on the traditional systems of medicine, government efforts to promote them, medicinal and aromatic plant resources, research and development activities, trade and the major problems faced by sustainable commercial exploitation. It will help the countries of the region to improve the health and living standards of their people using their own resources and promoting traditional systems of medicine, which are less expensive and well respected by Asian communities. This publication will be useful to policy-makers, the scientific community and user groups to frame effective policies, formulate projects to advance research and development activities, and establish environmentally sustainable and economically viable enterprises. Gennaro Longo Chief of the Environment Area Special Adviser on Technology Development. ...