Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
IT COULD well be one of the most exhaustive scientific pursuits undertaken in post-independence India. The All India Coordinated Research Project on Ethnobiology (AICRPE) has unearthed a large spectrum of uses that tribal popuations of the country make of plants and animals. Home to some of the world's most diverse …
after turmeric and basmati, Psyllium husk (sat isabgol) is on the hit list of multinationals for patenting exclusive marketing rights overseas. Psyllium husk is widely used for its medicinal properties both in India and abroad. However, while the market for Psyllium husk has stagnated in India, there is a growing …
illegal experiments on medicinal plants and flowers are leading to the extinction of several indigenous varieties of biodiversity in Darjeeling. The rich biodiversity is endangered due to the apathy of the forest authorities. Floriculture in Darjeeling hills
" medicinal Plants for Survival" was the theme at the International Conference on Medicinal Plants held in Bangalore from February 16 to 19. The conference was organised by the Foundation for the Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (frlht), a Bangalore-based non-governmental organisation (ngo), and was held at the National Institute …
at a time when India's herb exports have tripled, several medicinal plants face extinction. The recent rediscovery of natural medicine has fuelled a sharp increase in commercial demand for herbal products in global markets. In an eager to meet the requirements, nearly 90 per cent of the medicinal plants are …
The evergreen neem tree, Azadirachta indica is the most researched tree in the world. It is known for its medicinal properties and is an vital ingredient in the production of fungicides and insecticides. Effective against a wide array of pathogens, the tree is today ironically under attack by a hitherto …
Gresham revisited Demand for herbal drugs has surged. Riding the crest of the wave are spurious and adulterated medicinesthe market for herbal medicines and cosmetics is booming. Herbal products have flooded urban markets in India and are being exported. Advertisements of
Chyavanprash sold in the market is not the actual mixture that ayurvedic texts mention, according to Vaidya Balendu Prakash. Most manufacturers of chyavanprash, he says, are misleading the public and selling a cheap substitute for the classic preparation. The basic formulation is usually modified, and several items that are not …
That many herbal cosmetics in the market are not entirely herbal is common knowledge. But even 'upmarket' products can be adulterated. The application by Shahnaz Husain (Shahnaz Ayurvedic Products, New Delhi) for renewal of the licence to sell ayurvedic products has been held up by the Drug Controller (DC), Delhi, …
Conservation of medicinal plants in India appears to be nobody's business. The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow, recently published a book highlighting 65 medicinal and aromatic plants which are threatened or endangered. The Botanical Survey of India's red data book, published previously, had mentioned only 25 …
traditional systems of medicine may not be perfect. Their deficiencies - lack of quality control in preparations, poor standardisation, absence of controlled testing and clinical trials - are common knowledge. Yet, as more people turn to Ayurveda and herbal remedies, they are disappointed by the experience. Has that to do …
A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on herbal contraceptives has entered its final stage. Scientists at the ICMR are optimistic that they will be successful in producing a commercially viable oral contraceptive soon. Four plants, including Pippalyadi, Vindaga (Embelia ribes), Pipali (Piper longum) and Borax …
the heavy demand on plant resources has led to rapid depletion of populations. Some medicinal plants are now endangered. A recent report of the ministry of environment and forests (Medicinal plants of India: Guidelines for national policy and conservation programmes) acknowledges that medicinal plants are under serious threat due to …
While lead and other heavy metals are sometimes found in traces in ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines, there are no checks to ensure that these do not exceed the safe limit for human consumption. In the absence of standardisation of ayurvedic medicines, preparations containing high amounts of toxic elements like lead …
in india, herbal medicines worth Rs 900 crore are produced annually while the revenue earned through their yearly export has risen to Rs 120 crore. Despite this there is no check to ensure that only genuine medicines make it to the shelves. Even the drug controller of India, P Sengupta, …
In the Pratap Pharma versus Union of India case, the Supreme Court has held that the Union Government cannot exercise its power to ban or prohibit drugs or injections of the Ayurvedic, siddha or unani systems unless proved by an expert body under the Drugs and Narcotics Act, 1949. The …
Chyavanprash, an ayurvedic formulation named after Chyavan Rishi, is a compound formulation extensively used as an immunomodulator to boost the immune system so that the body is able to resist infections and diseases. It contains as many as 38 ingredients. Rawat and Mehrotra have prepared Chyavanprash at the NBRI laboratory …
THE success of patenting the curative attributes of turmeric has prompted the Indian government to set up an institute to catalogue the medicinal application of plants described in old Indian literature. This is to counter any move by any other country to patent the restorative characteristics of Indian plants. The …
