Role of Biotechnology in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants : Vol: XV

Contents: Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Therapeutic potential of fruits, vegetables and spices/G. Baskar Rajan, Irfan Ali Khan and Atiya Khanum. 2. Cabbage: vegetables and healthcare/Farhath Khanum. 3. Haldi: Spices at home for health remedies/Zehra Moiz Siddiqui. 4. Neem: The Pride of India/Rizwana Mubeen. 5. Tulsi: The Ozone protector cures many ailments/Rizwana Mubeen. 6. Papaya: A wholesome low calorie fruit for good health/Arshiya Sultana. 7. Red Gram: A source of herbal protein/Renu Sharma, Manisha Sharma and Amla Batra. 8. Mustard Oil: Ethnomedicine of herbal oil/Shyam S. Mandal. 9. Vitamins: Vitamin-A Vision 2020: The Right to Sight/Tasneem, Syed Tasqeeruddin and S. Lakshmi. 10. Diet and obesity: balanced diet keeps us fit and fine/Arshiya Sultana. 11. Iodine: An essential micronutrient for growth/Tasneem, Syed Tasqeeruddin and S. Lakshmi.

"World population is nearing 5 billion and with this rate of growth it is likely to touch 7.5 billion by the year 2020. Global estimates indicate that over 3/4 of the five billion world population cannot afford the products of the Western Pharmaceutical Industry and have to rely upon the use of traditional medicines, which are mainly derived from plants. As a part of strategy to reduce financial burden on developing countries which spend 40-50% of their total health budget on drugs, W.T.O. currently encourages, recommends and promotes the inclusion of herbal drugs in National Health Care Programmes because such drugs are easily available at a price within the reach of a common man and as such are time tested and thus considered to be much safer than the modern synthetic drugs. Sensing this demand, the material of this book has been compiled to help the scientists to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments. This book will cater to the immediate needs of the students, researchers, faculty members and pharmaceutical industries in India and abroad."