New Hopes for Herbal Market
The utmost need of the hour is the evolution of an Action Plan for spreading awareness about the value and aromatic plants. These our medicinal plants will add to the national needs export potential. We have to link the indigenous traditional knowledge with the modern technology.Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine in India and with proper guidance technical development, we can change our food and lifestyle so that every Indian staying in villages, urban and city areas. It is a health challenge for all.
Our immediate approach should be bestowed to establish the State Medicinal Plants Board in each State of the Country along with training facilities be available in the State Agricultural Departments, Forest Departments and other allied NGOs/VOs, etc.
Agro-techniques for location specific medicinal and aromatic plants are the prime need to be developed and be standardized for which necessary financial help may be provided by the Government through national banks, rural-cooperative societies/banks and other funding agencies. Marketing facilities should be opened amidst the growers in the villages with support price and agro-processing centers within the reach of the growers. The Drug and Cosmetic Industrial should have opened the facilities for contractual farming of the need-based herbal plants along with supply of critical inputs and suitable buy-back policy of the materials from the farmers.
The cultivation and conservation of the identified need-based herbal plants is thus essential for the larger interest of the humanity. This will stop our running to hospitals or taking chemical drugs which have side effects and also very much costly not affordable by the majority of the people. Herbal Medicines are not at all alternative system of treatment; it is the original Indian system of health security since ages. The agro-techniques for 18 medicinal plants are given as sorted out by the author.
Hence, the prime need of the hour is to make use of medicinal and aromatic plants for solving the health problems and major ailments of the people. Only the researches and development are the must to reach the goal for which concerted efforts are to be undertaken with further delay.