Future Strategy for Medicinal Plants

Agricultural support agencies should strengthen extension efforts to farmers.

Research institutions need to improve basic knowledge about cultivation practices and dissemination of plant species.

Conservation agencies and NGOs should promote conservation of vulnerable species at the grass-roots level.

Community organizations need to adopt sustainable collection and management practices on public lands.

Profitable private enterprises for processing, transporting, and marketing must be developed.

Government institutions need to be strengthened to regulate these important resources and, at  the same time, foster their sustainable development and conservation.

Future initiatives should also link the management and conservation of medicinal plants (and other non-timber forest products) with the commercial development of these resources. In this spirit, every new forestry project should be designed to have a significant effect on the sustained use of non-timber forest products. Management and conservation must be integrated with programs in other sectors: in health, to foster better use of plant materials; in education, to build awareness of the need for protection and judicious development; and in agriculture, to strengthen farmer extension methods for plant cultivation.

The Bank's new lending instruments-learning and innovation loans and adaptable program loans-are well suited to these efforts. They can allow for project design flexibility to incorporate lessons learned, encourage institutional reforms, and, where appropriate, foster pilot exercises to test new approaches.  With  the commitment of governments,  local communities, and NGOs, coupled with international support, the medicinal plant resources of South Asia have a chance of surviving, thriving, and continuing to aid billions of people.

 The Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides grant and concessional funds to developing countries and those with economies in transition for projects and activities that address four aspects of the global environment: biological diversity, climate change, international waters, and the ozone layer. Activities related to land degradation, primarily those addressing deforestation and desertification as they relate to the focal areas, are also eligible for funding. Along with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank is an implementing agency for the GEF.

For popularizing ayurvedic medicine it is necessary to promote (a) standardization, (b) safety, (c) quality, (d) integrity and (e) authenticity of the practices and the products. 

At least one drug for each major disease should be identified and the manufacturing process, standard, quality and clinical trial should be completed within stipulated period.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) should be adopted while manufacturing Ayurvedic medicines.

There should be State Drug Testing Laboratory to check the quality and standard of Ayurvedic medicines.

All pharmacies should have a research and development activity at least to provide rationale to the products they want to sell in the market.

Ayurvedic industry should incorporate the latest advances of science and technology in the manufacturing process and clinical practices.

Ayurvedic industries should be given "priority industry status" and declared as "green industry".

Guidelines should be framed for patent and proprietary medicines and manufacture to have efficacy and safety.

Priority would be recorded to research covering clinical trials, pharmacology, toxicology, standardization and study of pharmacology kinetics in respect of identified drugs.