Advances in Medicinal Plants

Medicinal plants are natures hidden and to a large extent unexplored treasure although they have been used as a source of safe and effective medicine since time immemorial, this potential resource has hardly been commercially tapped india is endowed with about 8000 species of medicinal plants according to a recent estimate of the planning commission, government of india, the potential for plant-based crude drugs is about rs 400 billion globally, the demand for medicinal plants and their derivatives is growing at a rate of 7 15 thus, considering the current market size and future growth prospects, there is a huge requirement for cultivation of medicinal plants in india medicinal plant biodiversity, conservation and commercial exploitation offers promising avenues of self-employment and business opportunities particularly in the rural areas preventing mass exodus of manpower to cities advances in medicinal plants is a result of a national seminar held to address challenging opportunities in the field of medicinal plants the papers presented were on a wide range of topics, including strategies for conserving medicinal plant biodiversity, gis mapping of medicinal plant diversity and cultivation of important medicinal crops