The Medicinal Plants Sector in India : A Review
Contents: Foreword. Introduction. 1. The medicinal plants resource base. 2. Traditional knowledge and indigenous uses. 3. The marketing channels: from harvest to market. 4. The international market. 5. Domestic drug production. 6. Information and coordination in the sector. 7. Towards a sustainable and equitable medicinal plant sector. Acronyms. Bibliography. Appendices.
"The book reviews the medicinal plants sector in India. The sector has traditionally occupied an important position in the socio-cultural, spiritual and medical arena of rural and tribal lives of India. In recent years, due to growing recognition of natural products and process in sustaining human and environmental health, the economic as well as environmental importance of the medicinal plant resources have increased tremendously.
The review is an outcome of an in-house study commissioned jointly by IDRC and the World Bank. The information gathered mostly from secondary sources, not only highlights the immense wealth of resources which exists endemically in the country, but also indicates the diversity and magnitude of research and development work being carried out within as well as outside the country.
The book brings to the forefront a number of technical, socio-economic and policy related issues facing the sector which need to be addressed taking a holistic view of the complex inter-sectoral implications. A strong argument has been put forward indicating an urgent need to develop a long term strategy for achieving sustainable use and community based biodiversity conservation of valuable plant resources. Importance of medicinal plants as a vehicle for rural development and livelihood improvement of the poor communities has also been emphasized as the overall goal of the sector development."
