Dr Banarsi Lal
Since ancient times plants have been used to heal and cure diseases and to improve health and well-being of human beings and animals. Trade in medicinal plants is difficult to estimate accurately because much of the local trade is either unrecorded or poorly classified. Increasing global interest in medicinal plants has also created a sustained and largely underground trade in plant materials, many of which are being collected in an unregulated manner, resulting in indiscriminate harvest of wild varieties of medicinal plants and serious damage to biodiversity. The annual demand of botanical raw drugs in the country is increasing. This reflects synthesis of data related to estimates of consumption of botanicals by the domestic herbal industry, the rural households and the volume of botanicals recorded for the export. India is said to be the home of many ethno-medically important plants species and is ranked 6th among 12 mega-diversity countries of the world. The Himalayas are recognized as the greatest biological hotspots. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) are traded as the raw material and final products. It has been observed that there are about 880 medicinal plants species involved in all India trade. Of this, 48 species are exported and about 42 spices are imported. As per the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, reveals that there are over 8000 species of medicinal plants grown in India. Despite having only around 2 per cent land of the world, it is blessed with 25 per cent of the biodiversity of the world.
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is located within the North-Western Himalaya and is endowed with incredible diversity of medicinal plants. Kashmir is often referred to as a ‘Terrestrial Paradise’ and is well-known across the globe. One of the main features contributing to the worldwide reputation of J&K is the rich biodiversity that adorns its captivating landscape. The beautiful Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir harbors a diversity of medicinal plants that have been used in traditional health care systems for thousands of years. This knowledge of health care is transmitted from generation to generation. But from the last few decades it has been eroding due to rapid socio-cultural change. Besides this, medicinal plants are being overexploited at an alarming rate. The traditional uses of medicinal plants in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have not been reviewed satisfactorily and if reviewed, focus has been given either on particular groups or on restricted regions of J&K. There is need of comprehensive documentation, diseases treatment by the traditional medicinal plants and scientific guidelines for the conservation and management of medicinal plants of Jammu and Kashmir. The major ailments that are treated by the medicinal plants include dermatological, gastrointestinal, dental, wounds, skeleto-muscular, cough and cold, respiratory, genito-urinary, fever, headache, circulatory and opthamological. A single plant species may be used to cure various human ailments. The traditional hakims and healers utilize different parts of the plants for the remedial measures of different ailments. However, the use of a particular plant part depends on the plant habit and user’s needs. The most frequently used plant parts in the preparation of herbal medicines include leaves, seeds, fruits, roots, rhizomes, whole plants, flowers and bark. Different liquids such as water, sugar, honey, juices, tea, edible oil and milk are mixed with plants or plant parts during the preparation of the medicines for the different ailments. The prepared medicines are mostly administered orally (63 per cent), less frequently dismally (19 per cent) or both orally and dismally (15 per cent). Only 3 per cent is administered through ears or eyes. Keeping depletion of the medicinal plants in view, various Government and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) are involved in conservation of these plants species. In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, various organizations such as Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu(IIIM-Jammu) (formerly known as RRL, Jammu), Sher-e-Kashmir Agriculture University of Science and Technology, Jammu and Srinagar, Centre for Biodiversity Studies, BGSB University, Rajouri, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, State Forest Research Institute, J&K, Defense Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra and University of Jammu are keenly involved in developing conservation technologies for medicinal plants of J&K. The high demand medicinal plants in Jammu region are Harad (Terminalia chebula), Amla (Emblica officianalis), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Baheda (Terminalia bellirica), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), Banafsha (Viola odorata), Gilo(Tinosporia cordifolia), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Saffron (Crocus sativus) etc. while in Kashmir region the high demand medicinal plants are Gowzaban (Borage officianalis), Asal us soos (Glycirrhiza glabra), Saffron (Crocus sativus), Banafsha (Voila odorata), Behidana (Cydonia oblonga), Gul-e-Zoofa (Hyssopus officinalis), Parshianshan (Adiantum capillus), Kalonji (Nigella sativa), Kansi (Cichorium intybus) etc. The demand for medicinal plants in India to meet both domestic and export markets has been projected to increase at about 15?16 percent annually, between 2005 and 2010. India exports its medicinal plants products to at least 95 countries. The main destinations were the USA and Europe. Medicinal plants still form the basis of traditional or indigenous health systems and are used by the large part of the populations in most of the developing countries. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) play a key role in mitigating the demands of the traditional medicine markets which are found both domestically in the producing and in overseas markets. Demand for wide varieties of wild species of medicinal and aromatic plants is increasing with growth in human needs, numbers and commercial trade. It has been observed that some wild species of medicinal plants are being over-exploited. Various agencies are recommending that wild species of medicinal plants should be brought under commercial cultivation. There are various high demand and high commercial value medicinal and aromatic plants in Jammu and Kashmir and there is need to assess these herbs in J&K. It has been observed that the trade of raw medicinal plants in J&K is not in the streamline with negligible authoritarian control. The high demand species of medicinal and aromatic plants are distinctive with their local availability and the popularity of the herbs is directly proportional to availability of the herb in the area. There is need of expertise in the identification of these herbs. There are various kinds of medicinal plant species found across the three divisions of J&K. While Jammu division accounts for 500, Kashmir division accounts for around 3000 such species of medicinal plants, respectively. Unscientific and indiscriminate harvesting techniques have pushed most of these species on the verge of extinction. There is need to conserve the medicinal plants in J&K. Priority should be given to the species that are endangered. Absence of reliable market information has been an impediment in the management of medicinal plants resources. Strenuous efforts are needed for promoting the mass cultivation of natural herbs in J&K. The demand for medicinal plants based raw materials is increasing at the rate of 15 to 25 per cent annually; the demand for ethno-medicinal plants is likely to increase more in future. Excessive anthropogenic pressures have been identified as the main causes of decline in the population and availability of the medicinal plants in the Himalayan region. With increasing demand and renewed global interest in traditional ethno pharmacy, coupled with the increasing preference for natural substances in the healthcare system, the natural stock of medicinal plants of Himalayas is encouraging. Commercial cultivation is crucial for the success of medicinal plants to mitigate the ever-growing demand for medicinal plants as this wealth has been depleting continuously since last two decades in their natural habitat.
(The author is Head, KVK Reasi, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Jammu).
