Role of Biotechnology in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Vol. XX

Contents: Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Arthritis and its management/Irfan Ali Khan and Atiya Khanum. 2. Plant diversity in Shymgiri P-3 area in Panna Forest Division/Sheshmani Gautam, J.L. Shrivastava, S.K. Masih and U. Homkar. 3. Origins of modern medicines in historical perspective/D.A. Patil. 4. Immunotoxicology/R. Jeyachandran, A. Mahesh, G. Krithika and L. Cindrella. 5. Medicinal plants of Bhadrachalam Forest Division of Andhra Pradesh/V.C. Gupta and P.V. Goud.

"Man depended on bioresources of his survival and sustenance since immemorial time. Obviously, in the earliest times, the primitive man acquired knowledge since he was very close to the nature. He was equipped with deep and discerning acquaintance with the ambient plant world. This acquaintance led him to unavoidable experimentation through which was channelized his knowledge of properties of several plant species, beneficial or even harmful in nature. This knowledge gradually became, in later periods, an integral part of his culture, which has been passed from generation to generation with certain modifications, improvements or even deletions. Our ancestors had a wide range of medicinal herbs at their disposal, and that they likewise have in-depth understanding of medicinal herbs. Even until the last century, every community, village or hamlets had a wealth of herbal folklore of common health problems. They used them in the form of certain recipes like lotions, teas, poultices, ointment etc. On the advent of waves of modernization and acculturation, the golden lore of our ancestors was on the wane." (jacket)