1.7 Medicinal Plant Resources
The drugs used in the ISM are mainly plant based, in addition to a few materials of mineral and animal origin. Thus the therapeutic efficacy of the drugs used in these systems is greatly dependent on the use of pure and genuine raw materials in their preparation. According to the estimation of the Department of ISM, about 1100 medicinal plants are estimated to find use in ISM & H drug preparation, and 500 of these are more commonly used.
There are many problems in ensuring a constant supply of drugs; avoiding overexploi- tation of medicinal plant resources; and also ensuring the quality of raw drugs and the conservation, cultivation, and preservation of medicinal plants. To look into these matters, the government of India has set up a Medicinal Plant Board, which has been given the responsibility of coordinating all matters related to medicinal plants. The Planning Com- mission set up a task force under Dr. D.N. Tewari, to inter alia provide policy directives on (1) conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants, (2) growth of domestic and foreign trade, (3) development of an equitable market system, (4) regulation of this sector to maintain quality control, and (5) protection of IPR of medicinal plants.
Soure: Lakshmi chandra Mishra, scientific Basis for Ayurvedic Therapies; 2004 by CRC Press LLC
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