Medicinal plants are valuable resources for our health care system since ancient period.
These natural herbs are an important source of drugs for alternative medicine systems.
These systems include Ayurveda, homeopathy, Unani and even allopathy.
They are thought to constitute 80% of total drugs used by humans.
These natural healing herbs are used in the treatment of many diseases and disorders.
Their specialty is advantages like better compatibility in the body, easy metabolism, low side effects and also less expensive than synthetic drugs.
Further, they are not harmful to the environment after disposal.
They don’t require heavy manufacture, expensive analysis, and storage facility.
They retain their potency for a long period if stored well.
Many of them can be used as home-made preparations, during an emergency or can be bought as over the counter drugs without a physician prescription.
These medicinal plants come under different types of plants and not restricted to one family or type of plants.
So below chart gives an idea of the List of Medicinal Plants and uses.
List of Medicinal Plants, their uses
Sl.No. | Name of plant | Source of plant (Scientific) | Uses |
1 | Aconite | Aconitum ferox –plant root | Leprosy, cholera,catarrh |
2 | Aloe vera | Aloe barbadensis | Succulent leaves. Used as hydrating agent for smooth skin |
3 | Arjuna | Terminalia Arjuna-Tree dry Bark | Correct Blood pressure, heart beat, congestive heart failure, OPD for easy breath |
4 | Ashwagandha | Withania somnifera-roots & stem bases. | Neurotonic, Rheumatism, gout, hypertension, cancer |
5 | Belladonna | Atropa accuminata-leaves & flowers | Anti-spasmodic, anticholinergic, antidote for chloral hydrate & opium poisoning |
6 | Banafsha | Viola odorata | Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, in fever, as expectorant (to remove phlegm) |
7 | Black pepper | Piper nigrum-unripe fruits | As stomachic (enhances hunger), carminative (enhances eructation) |
8 | Caraway | Carum carvi,dry ripe fruits | Expels gas by eructation |
9 | Cascar | Dried bark of Rhamnus purshiana | As stomachic and laxative |
10 | Cardamom | Elettaria cardamomum-dry-ripe fruits | Expels gas by eructation (carminative) |
11 | Castor oil | Ricinus communis-seed’s fixed oil | Catharatic (in constipation), hair growth promoter |
12 | Ceylon Cinnamon | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Carminative (enhances eructation) |
13 | Citronella oil | Cymbopogan nardus-volatile oil from leaves | Mosquito repellent |
14 | Clove | Eugenia caryophyllus-dry flower bud | Dental analgesic, anti-septic, carminative |
15 | Coriander | Coriandrum sativum-dry fruits | Carminative |
16 | Corkwood | Duboisia myoporoides-dry leaves | Duboisia myoporoides-dry leves |
Digitalis | Dried leaves of digitalis purpurea. | Treatment of heart failur and cardiac arrhythmia | |
17 | Egyptian Henbane | Hyoscyamus niger-leaves & flower tip | Relieve spasm of urinary tract & gripping effect of purgatives |
18 | Eucalyptus oil | Eucalyptus citriodara-leaf oil | Has essential oils with uses like Expectorant (removes phlegm), counter-irritant. |
19 | Fennel | Foeniculum vulgare-dry ripe fruit | Expels gas by eructation |
20 | Garlic | Allium sativum-bulbs | To enhance libido, expel phlegm, for eructation |
21 | Ginseng | Panax ginseng | As immunomodulator. See more health benefits of ginseng. |
22 | Ginger | Zingiber officinale, dried rhizome | Anti-emetic, anti inflammatory. |
23 | Glycyrrhiza (Liquorice) | Glycyrrhiza glabra; dried roots and stolons | Expectorant and anti-inflammatory |
24 | Senna | Cassia angustifolia-dried leaflets | For purgation of bowels. |
25 | Ipecac | Cephaelis ipecacuanha-dried roots & rhizomes | To induce vomiting (emetic) |
26 | Isapgol | Plantago ovate- | To relieve constipation (laxative) |
27 | Jira | Ciminum cyminum-dry ripe fruit Ciminum cyminum-dry ripe fruit | Stimulant, carminative |
28 | Lemon grass Oil | Cymbopogan flexosus-volatile oil of leaves & other plant parts | Vitamin-A precursor |
29 | Mentha oil | Mentha piperita-volatile oil from flowers | Expels gas by eructation |
30 | Opium poopy | Papaver somniferum-dry latex having Morphine, codeine etc. | To relieve severe pains, cough, & also as hypnotic |
31 | Palmarosa oil | Cymbopogan martini-volatile oil from leaves | Insect repellent |
32 | Papain | Carica papaya (papaya plant-unripe fruit latex. | One of anti inflammatory herbs |
33 | Peruvian bark | Cinchona ledgeriana-dried bark | Anti-malarial drug |
34 | Pyrethrum | Chrysanthemum cineraria folium flower heads | As an insecticide to kill insects mosquito repellent |
35 | Rheumatism root | Dioscorea composite-dried tubers | For rheumatic arthritis |
36 | Rauwolfia | Rauwolfia serpentine-Dry roots | As a Anti-hypertensive agent |
37 | Sandal wood oil | Santalum album-volatile oil | Decreases frequent urination tendency. |
38 | Solanum khasianum | Solanum-dried berries | For steroid production |
39 | Tulsi | Ocimum sanctum-fresh & dry leaves | Uses of tulsi are Anti-bacterial, insecticide and immune modulator |
40 | Turmeric | Curcuma longs-dry rhizomes | Anti-septic, anti-oxidant, condiment |
41 | Turpentine oil. | Pinus roxburghii-volatile oil | Counter irritant (for pain relief) |
42 | Vetiver oil | Vetiveria zizanoides-volatile oil from root | Relive prickly heat and itching |
43 | Vinca | Catharanthus roseus-entre plant | medicinal plants for cancer treatment, anticancer herbs |
44 | Yew | Taxus baccata | Dry leaves, bark & roots. |
This big list of uses indicates the importance of plants. So we need to take efforts to prevent them from eradication in the name of development.
Conservation of medicinal plants is very important for future use.
Due to heavy use, large plants and those plants which take a long time for germination and growth are chopped off.
Hence the conservation of medicinal plants is done by obtaining the medicinal plant material by agriculture methods of cultivation instead of relying on the plants grown naturally in forests.
Further, we need to take steps for conservation of medicinal plants by obtaining these medicinal plant drugs by tissue culture method where possible.
nothing for control of diabetes?
sir
i want to know where the medicinal plants are available.
Please inform
With warm regards
@aftab shaikh! You must contact your region forest office or any Ayurveda institute.
Very good site for children
Very very useful information about the medical plants.
Pictures of the plants may be helpful to find out the plants for proper uses.