Medicinal plant cultivation has received an impetus in the recent years due to revival of interest in herbal medicines necessitating authoritative information on cultivation and utilization of this valuable flora. The book on Medicinal Plants includes information on current status of medicinal plants, their phytochemistry, quality control, good agricultural practices and good manufacturing practices in medicinal plants and information on commercially grown medicinal plants and those important in trade. Details on botany, crop improvement, crop protection, crop production, post harvest handling, chemical composition, chemical analyses and uses of commercially grown crops are also included. The book which is a systematic compilation of available information on promising 65 medicinal species helps in providing specific information on the cultivation and utilization of these crops to farmers, academicians, students and related user industries. This documented information also serves to give an insight to the major research lacunae and formulate appropriate research strategies in these crops.

In the backdrop of remarkable strength and achievements of modern medical science, an overwhelmingly large proportion of world population still depends upon varying indigenous systems for meeting its health care needs. These systems, exemplified by Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha, rely on traditional knowledge of indigenous communities about health-imparting and curative properties of plants. Such plants of health promoting and curative value are currently collected from the wild in large amounts and face threat of loss of diversity and extinction. Because of this reason, and the imperative of improving them genetically for productivity and the desired trait quality, it becomes imperative that the needed demands for them are met from organised cultivation and not by extraction from natural stands. Meeting complex demands of the above mentioned kind will require collation and presentation of detailed information about the targeted plant species. The book is an attempt to meet this requirement for nine important plant species, viz., Panax Ginseng, Polygonatum spp., Picrorhiza kurroa, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Crepedium acuminatum, Tribulus terrestris, Ephedra spp. Crataegus rhipidophylla and Ginkgo biloba. Each chapter provides information on different plants on aspects such as, reproductive biology, medicinal, chemical and pharmacological aspects, threats and conservation, cultivation, commercial status, future directions for research, value addition, patents and literature cited. The book will be of interest to a very wide and diverse audience, which includes academics and researchers, interest groups of drug industry, administrators and policy makers.

The Himalayan Region is a mega hot spot for biological diversity. It supports over 1,748 plants species of known medicinal value. This title focuses on origin and distribution of Himalayan herbs, their medicinal potential, industrial significance, and research advancements pertaining to molecular breeding and omics-based approaches. Discusses evolved secondary biochemical pathways often in response to specific environmental stimuli Reviews conservation efforts Presents an in-depth analysis of 12 key species

Himalayan Fruits and Berries: Bioactive Compounds, Uses and Nutraceutical Potential presents nutraceutical fruits and berries from the Himalayan region and highlights their potential use in nutraceutical products. Beginning with the introduction of the Himalayan region and its wild fruits, this book explores various kinds of wild fruits and berries. It includes coverage of traditional, ethnomedicinal, and local uses of potential nutraceutical fruits and analyzes their distribution, availability, and cultivation methods. The book also provides a detailed summary of clinical studies and presents "from field to industry" case studies. Wild fruits and berries play an important role in mitigating hunger in the developing world, and these fruits are consumed either in whole or extracted for use in nutraceutical production. Nutrition researchers, food scientists, food chemists, plant scientists, pharmacologists, as well as students or researchers working in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries exploring the use of Himalayan wild berries and fruits as new components and sources in nutraceuticals will benefit from this book. Includes coverage of the traditional, ethnomedicinal, and local uses of potential nutraceutical fruits and berries Presents bioactive chemical constituents and nutraceutical properties of Himalayan fruits and berries Addresses current challenges related to sustainable utilization, mass production, and the transfer from field to the industry of potential nutraceutical fruits and berries

Our intention with this book was to present the reader with the most accurate, significant, and up-to-date background and knowledge in the areas of ethnomedicinal and nutraceutical vegetation for the Lesser Himalayas in a comprehensive text. Wild Edible Vegetables of Lesser Himalayas provides a complete review of over 50 important plants of this region and details each species including photographs, botanical name, local name, family, flowering and fruiting period, status and habitat, parts used, distribution, ethnobotanical uses, cultural aspects, medicinal uses, and nutraceutical aspects. Medicinal uses include mode of preparation, method of application and diseases studied; cultural aspects and index; nutraceutical data provides analysis of fats, proteins, fibers, carbohydrates, ash, moisture content, dry matter, and energy value; elemental analysis includes various essential and toxic metals; phytochemical screening includes total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols and ascorbic acid, and antioxidant potential in terms of DPPH scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, H2O2 scavenging activity, Fe2+ chelating activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and phosphomolybdenum assay for each species. Wild Edible Vegetables of Lesser Himalayas is a concise and handy guide for scientists, scholars, and students interested in the study of agriculture, food science, nutraceutical science, bioscience, biodiversity, applied ethnobotany, ethnoecology, and ecology.

The Himalayan region is among the largest mountains systems of the world with uncounted unique medicinal plants resources. The lesser Himalayas ranges are the extension of Greater Himalayas. They have unique ecology, vegetation and diversity of medicinal flora due to tremendous variation in the altitude, climate and associated wildlife. The utilization of medicinal plants in medicine suffers from the fact that although plants are used to treat diseases, scientific evidence is lacking in many cases. Different societies of the world use the plants according to their own beliefs and knowledge and previous experiences. Their knowledge about the use of the plants is usually not known to the other world or science. This book provides a brief introduction of Lesser Himalayas, ethnobotanical aspects, marketing and anthropogenic pressure on medicinal flora. It comprises one hundred medicinal plant species including Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms (Monocots and Dicots) along with their scientific description and traditional uses.