Author(s): Wungsem Rungsung, Sreya Dutta, Debajyoti Das, Jayram Hazra

Abstract: Medicinal plants have been used in virtually all cultures as a source of medicine since time immemorial. World Health Organization also currently encourages, recommends and promotes traditional herbal medicines in national health care programmes as such drugs are easily available at low cost and inherently safer than the potent synthetic drugs. The safety, quality and efficacy of medicinal plants are, therefore, required to be addressed through interdisciplinary research. Medicinal plant species which are endangered or rare should be identified and conserved through the coordinated effort of in situ andex situ strategies. The wild medicinal plants should be explored to bring them under cultivation. The Indian subcontinent is a vast repository of medicinal plants. It is estimated that a total of over 7500 species of plants are used as medicines by several ethnic communities of India.