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

Pic-1 Farmers during the training programme at Mawkyrdep village.

Cassia (Cinnamon) C. Alata, C.fistula, C. hirsute, C. occidentalis Citrus (Lemon) C. assamica Curcuma (Ginger family)

C. amada, C.aromatica, C. caesia, C. domestica, C.longa, C. maxima,C. zedoaria (Turmeric)

Dioscorea D. Alata, D. bulbefera, D. esculanta, D. pentaphylla Euphorbia E.Antiquroum, E.hirta, E.lingularia, E.nerifolia, E.pulcherima, E.royleana Ficus (sacred plants)

F.Benghalensis (Banyan tree), F.erecta, F.glomerata, F.heterophylla, F.pumila, F.racemosa, F.rumphili, F.semicordata, F.subincisa

Litsea (oil) L.Citrate, L.cubeba, L glutinosa, L kingie, L polyalthia, salcifolia Musa (Banana) M.Champa, M indica, M.paradisical, M.sapientum, M. velutina Ocimum (Culinary herb)

O.Amaricanum, O. baslicum, O. canum, O. grattisimum, O. kilimandscharicum, O. sanctum

Phyllanthus (Medidcinal value)

P. Acidus, P. amaras, P.distilus, P. emelica, P. fraternus, P. urinaria

Piper (Black paper) P. Betel, P. P. beteloides, P. diffusim, P. khasianum, P. longum, P. mullesua, P. nigrum, P. sylvaticum, P. thomsonii

Solanum (Vegetable, Tomato family)

P. Ferox, P. indicum, P. khasianum, P. melongena, P. nigrum, P. sodomaceaum, P. spirale, P. stramonifollium, P. torvum, P. xanthocarpum

Syzigium (Clove) S.Jambos, S.aromaticum (Clove), S.operculatum, S. syzigioides Stephania (Medicinal plants)

S. Elangas, S.glandulifera, S.hermandifolia, S. japonica, S. maw

Zanthoxylum (Culinary & Medicinal)

Z. Zanthoxylum, Z. acanthopodium, Z. armatum, Z.hamiltonianum, Z.limonella, Z. nitidium

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 NMPB, provides training on awareness of the

Pic-2- Herbal medicines shown by local practionner at 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 the medicinal systems used to cure rheumatism, 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.