School for Conservation of Natural Resources
Repository for Medicinal Resources (Flora, Fauna, Metals & Minerals)
With the growing global interest in traditional and complementary systems of medicine it is essential for India to establish an authentic national repository of all the natural resources used by the Indian systems of medicine. IAIM-FRLHT pioneered in 1995, the establishment of the first internationally accredited herbarium (botanical repository) of the medicinal plants of India. At the end of 2009 the Herbarium has collected around 70% of the medicinal plants used by the codified Indian systems of medicine. It will expand and deepen this work and add the repositories of fauna and metals and minerals used by Indian systems of medicine. The centre is currently engaged in research, training and outreach related to the identity, geographical distribution, and taxonomy of botanical resources used by Indian medical heritage. There is also a scope in future for diversifying the botanical, geological and zoological repository into a chemical and cell repository.
Achievements
Of the total 1,900 medicinal plant species that are used in the codified systems of Indian medicine, 1,453 species have been collected till date across different phyto-geographical regions and forest types of the country and are housed in the herbarium of FRLH.
The Bio-cultural herbarium of medicinal plants has now been added with another 150 medicinal plant species during this financial year with major proportion had come from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the remaining from northern parts of India, thus making the total collection to 2977 medicinal plant species.
Of the 150 medicinal plant species added, 6 species are listed amongst the 960 traded medicinal plants of India namely, Lodoicea maldavica (J. Gmelin) Pers. (Arecaceae), Sphaeranthus africanus L. (Asteraceae), Caesalpinia digyna Rottler (Caesalpiniaceae), Luffa echinata Roxb. (Cucurbitaceae), Hydnocarpus kurzii (King) Warb. (Flacourtiaceae) and Vitex agnus-castus L. (Verbenaceae). This makes the herbarium to hold 80.9% of the traded medicinal plants.
The botanists have photographed first time in the world, a threatened, steno-endemic plant namely Brachystelma brevitubulatum (Bedd.) Gamble (Asclepiadaceae).
Subjecting the 150 medicinal plants to the habit analysis showed 36.6 % of them are Trees and Herbs respectively, followed by Shrubs (17.3%) and 9.3% of Climbers.
Current Activities
The team is involved in sharing the learning by means of educational material to the community.
4 sets of posters covering the themes Astavarga, Daruharidra, Dasamoola and Plant exudates under the series “Medicinal Plant Wealth of India” were designed and printed.
Plant exudates – The plant has each and every part of its important for human use especially medicinal purpose. This poster highlights that even the exudates of plants have significant medical value. Few examples have been illustrated.
Dasamoola – An important ayurvedic formulation with roots of 5 herbs & shrubs and 5 trees. All the authentic as well as substitutes and adulterants have been tabulated along with the plant profiles of plants.
Daruharidra – A yellow coloured wood is highlighted in this poster. It explains the plants being traded in the name of daruharidra along with the authentic plants in north and south India. Molecular level differentiation is also included along with plant photographs.
Ashtavarga – A classical Ayurvedic plant drug with mystery of plants correlated to Ashtavarga and their availability is elucidated along with the plant photographs.
Initiated work on a book related to threatened medicinal plants of India. Priority species for profiling in the book were identified; manuscript development initiated and compilation of appropriate images was undertaken.
Training programmes
Two days training on herbarium techniques was conducted for Atreya Ayurvedic College students pursuing BAMS and Mount Carmel College students in Herbal Science section. The training included hands on experience on herbarium techniques as well as plant identification. It was an evaluated course where in the students were evaluated by pre and post training exams.
