Acknowledgement

During the course of the research work cited in this book, and while preparing the manuscript, I had the good fortune of receiving support, in various ways, from several scientific personnel and organisations, too many to mention here. I owe a debt of gratitude to all of them, more particularly the following:

The Department of Forests, Environment and Ecology (DFEE), Government of Karnataka, for financial support for the major part of the work and for publishing this volume;

The Karnataka Council for Science and Technology, Bangalore, for undertaking the actual publishing of the book;

The Bangalore University for providing the facilities for the work and the partial financial support towards the preparation of the manuscript;

Dr Sathyanarayana Bhat, Dr Assumpta Sharon, Dr Shubha Rani, Dr Sathyananda, Dr Sangeetaa Wadhawan, Ms Sharu Raj, and Dr Mamatha Rao, for providing the data cited in the book, as acknowledged at the relevant places;

The large number of traditional medical practitioners in different parts of Karnataka, listed under Sources of Information, for a free discussion sharing their expertise;

The Blood Bank, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, Bangalore, for providing samples of typed human blood for over a decade;

The Veterinary College, University of Agricultural Sciences, Hebbal, Bangalore, for the samples of blood of different animals;

The Department of Microbiology, St John’s Medical College, Bangalore, and particularly Dr Ragini Macadonna, for microbiological facilities;

The Atomic Minerals Division, Atomic Energy Establishment, Government of India, Bangalore, for the use of Ion-selective electrode equipment;

The School of Biological Sciences, Madurai-Kamaraj University, Madurai, and particularly Professor Kulandaivelu, for SEM facilities;

The National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosurgery, Bangalore, particularly Dr Ramamohan, for TEM facilities;

The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, particularly Professor G S R Subba Rao, for help with MS analysis of pollen saponins;

The Department of Zoology, Bangalore University, for animal room facilities;

Several Libraries, particularly the British Library, Bangalore; Libraries at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore; Government Central Pharmacy, Bangalore; Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Bangalore; University of Calicut; Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal; for a free access to their facilities;

The Officials of the Department of Forests, Government of Karnataka, for all the help on our field trips to different parts of the State;

Professor Ronald G. Micetich, SynPhar laboratories, Edmonton, Canada, for encouragement and academic support for over a decade and for partial financial support for research;

Dr S Shantharam, United States Department of Agriculture, USA, for an ever-willing helping hand with literature, and unfailing moral support, for over a quarter of a century;

Professor M.R. Suresh, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, for a very keen and participating interest in our work on lectins and saponins and for helping with literature and technical advice for over a quarter of a century;

Dr M Sanjappa, Deputy Director, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, for helping with some plant material and literature, for over two decades;

Professors Shakunthala Kathre and Ravichandra Reddy, Bangalore University, for help with experimental set up using snake-head fish;

Professor K S Manilal, Calicut, Professor P N Raju, Chennai and Professor B AHegde,Kolhapur, for reading through a considerable part of the databases and for valuable comments;

Dr M S Swaminathan, Chennai, for very prompt responses to our progress reports and requests;

Shri Pattanayak, the former Secretary of the DFEE, and Shri Ramaprasad, Executive Secretary, Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, for their efforts in processing the matter of publication of this book;

Professor G Padmanabhan, Honorary Professor of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for kindly writing the Foreword;

Shri G. Nagendra Prasad and Shri G. Shivshankar of M/s Natraj Printers, Bangalore, for bearing with the pains of file conversions and for a very understanding support during the printing of the book: and the numerous scientific visitors to our Lab, for the encouragement that sustained us in our work throughout.

C KAMESWARA RAO