Foreword

        The importance of traditional medicine and medicinal plants is slowly gaining ground. Traditional remedies in India not only offer an affordable health care system, but also hold immense potential for the international market in this age of patents and intellectual property rights. Although the relevance of this area was recognized at a meeting at Alma-Ata as early as 1962, followed by a far reaching resolution to give adequate importance for the utilization of the traditional system of medicine at the 30th World Assembly of the WHO in 1977, only in recent years, there has been an attempt to do research with the indigenous systems of medicine and provide a credible data base on the medicinal plants. However, myths and quacks abound in this area and there has been a necessity to present an integrated picture of the entire field. Dr. C. Kameswara Rao, Professor of Botany from Bangalore University , has spent several years of research in this area and prepared this excellent monograph covering a broad range of topics and issues. The monograph gives a succinct description of the various systems of indigenous medicine, including Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems of medicine, Chinese medicine (herbal, Acupuncture and Moxibustion), Tibetan medicine, Naturopathy, Aromatherapy, Homoeopathy and Bach’s Flower remedies. Many tribal medicines will perhaps disappear with the tribes, although 125 systems of alternative medicine have been recognized. Dr. Kameswara Rao brings out the underlying theme of a holistic approach in treatment with most of the indigenous systems of medicine.

        The next part of the monograph deals with the subject of Ethnoecology from the perspective of plants relevant to health care. These are dealt with in sub-disciplines of ethnobotany, ethnotherapeutics and ethnopharmacology. The critical scientific basis of these areas has been spelt out. For example, the ethnopharmacological study should cover (a) field source, (b) method of collection and botanical authentication, (c) records of species, crude drug preparations, etc., (d) voucher specimens of crude drugs, (e) animal models to study physiological effects, (f) clinical study. Such a systematic study would authenticate the traditional claims and eliminate unfounded claims and quacks. The basic difference between modern drugs, often based on a single active chemical species and traditional drugs often based on an interplay of several chemicals in extracts is clearly emphasized.

        The next, obvious, subject for treatment is Biodiversity and conservation of medicinal plants. The diversity includes (a) Ecosystem diversity, (b) Species diversity, and (c) Genetic diversity. The enormity of the problem of conservation is brought out when the magnitude of genetic diversity alone is forbidding, as it is pointed out that there are 100,000 varieties of rice, 15,000 varieties of bean and 12,000 varieties of potato. India is one of the 25 world’s mega diversity centres and the aspects of ex situ and in situ conservation have been dealt with, including a list of endangered species of medicinal plants.

        This is followed by the theme of the market for the medicinal plants. Researchers often do not know how to price the product of their research. This becomes all the more acute when it comes to marketing traditional remedies. When it comes to International marketing, a professional approach is needed that should include standardization of the preparation and an assessment of the economic value of the medicinal plants. The latter should take into consideration the following: (a) land use value, (b) cost of production and marketing, (c) number of lives the drug can save, (d) quantity required, etc. Application of biotechnology to medicinal plants is useful to conserve and grow the plants as well as to obtain adequate quantities of plant based drugs. Plant tissue culture is a useful tool, but the production of secondary metabolites in culture is often seen to be lower than in the intact plant. Dr. Kameswara Rao lists 8 secondary metabolites in callus culture and 34 in cell culture that can be produced at levels equal to or greater than obtained from intact plants. Biotechnology consists of the classical cell culture based production to the newer technologies based on transgenic plants, animals and microorganisms. Arising out of all these, life forms have become contentious issues for intellectual property rights. GATT and CBD represent two significant and separate approaches to the utilization of living resources of the earth to human ends. Biodiversity and traditional wisdom contribute significantly to modern biotechnology. IPR for discoveries based on modern biotechnology do not accommodate contributions arising from traditional knowledge and biodiversity available with the developing countries. Medicinal plants from developing countries form typical example which can be exploited by infrastructure-rich western countries. To be fair the IPR should have an inbuilt mechanism to compensate for traditional knowledge and biodiversity that have contributed to the discoveries in modern biotechnology.

        India’s claim to IPR and patenting rights can only be meaningful if it is aware of its own biodiveristy. For example, data bases are needed for the existing and rapidly disappearing plant species and the tribal remedies. The author has provided database on medicinal plants in 23 categories based on their medicinal properties such as antimicrobial, anticancer, etc., activities. The list of specialists in traditional medicine provided should be very useful.

        The final sections consist of experimental studies on a few specific components of medicinal plants such as Lectins, Saponins, Fluorides, antimicrobial agents. A miscellaneous chapter covers related aspects such as the possibility of integration of medical systems, the concept of holistic medicine, popularization of medicine, reliability of sources of information and a list of elite medicinal plants.

        This monograph is a valiant attempt to integrate several facets related to medicinal plants and their application to indigenous systems of medicine. While providing useful data base information, the monograph has attempted to focus on the need to evolve a scientific basis in the promotion of the indigenous systems of medicine and the propagation and preservation of medicinal plants.

        This monograph should prove to be useful to students, researchers and also planners interested in propagating this valuable heritage for the welfare of the community and for projecting it to the international market. I do hope that medical students, conservationists, students of biology and the practitioners of indigenous systems of medicine will derive benefit from this monograph, which is the project of a highly committed and knowledgeable endeavor by Dr. Kameswara Rao.

G. PADMANABHAN

Emeritus Scientist/Honorary Professor

Indian Institute of Science

Bangalore 560 012

December 18, 1998