Herbal plants have been used throughout human history for both medicinal and culinary purposes. They contain chemical compounds that can have beneficial effects on the human body similar to conventional drugs, but also have potential side effects. Herbs can be perennials, biennials, or annuals, and some are used as both herbs and spices. The use of plants as medicine predates written history, and archaeological evidence shows humans were using medicinal plants over 60,000 years ago. India has a long history of using Ayurvedic herbal remedies and is home to over 2,000 species of medicinal plants.

1. Importance of Herbal
plants

2. Herbal plants
Herbal plants have been identified and used throughout human history.
Plants make many chemical compounds that are for biological functions,
including defence against insects, fungi and herbivorous mammals. At
least 12,000 such compounds have been isolated so far; a number
estimated to be less than 10% of the total. Chemical compounds in plants
mediate their effect on the human body through processes identical to
those already well understood for the chemical compounds in
conventional drugs; thus herbal medicines do not differ greatly from
conventional drugs in terms of how they work. This enables herbal
medicines to have beneficial pharmacology, but also gives them the same
potential as conventional pharmaceutical drugs to cause harmful side
effects.

3. Herbs can be perennials such as thyme or lavender, biennials such
as parsley, or annuals like basil. Perennial herbs can be shrubs such
as rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, or trees such as bay
laurel, Laurus nobilis – this contrasts with botanical herbs, which by
definition cannot be woody plants. Some plants are used as both
herbs and spices, such as dil weed and dill seed or coriander leaves
and seeds. Also, there are some herbs such as those in the mint
family that are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
An herb is a plant grown for medicinal value or for flavoring food.
There is some overlap between the milder leafy herbs and the more
strongly-flavored leaf vegetables. This category does not include the
much wider category of herbaceous plants which are also called
herbs in some countries.

4. History
The use of plants as medicine predates written human history. Many of
the herbs and spices used by humans to season food also yield useful
medicinal compounds The use of herbs of and spices in cuisine
developed in part as a response to the threat food-borne pathogens.
Studies show that in tropical climates where pathogens are the most
abundant, recipes are the most highly spiced. Further, the spices with the
most potent antimicrobial activity tend to be selected. In all cultures
vegetables are spiced less than meat, presumably because they are
more resistant to spoilage. Angiosperms (flowering plants) were the
original source of most plant medicines. Many of the common weeds that
populate human settlements, such as nettle, dandelion and chickweed,
have medicinal properties. A large amount of archaeological evidence
exists which indicates that humans were using medicinal plants during
the Paleolithic, approximately 60,000 years ago. Some animals such as
non-human primates, monarch butterflies and sheep are also known to
ingest medicinal plants to treat illness.

5. About India Herbs
While pharmaceutical companies extract active ingredients from plants
and sell them as drugs, the benefits of medicinal plants cannot be
replicated because their synergistic combination of hundreds of
naturally occurring photochemical cannot be reproduced in
laboratories.
This fact has been known to Ayurveda for thousands of years - the
benefit comes from using the whole plant, not just an isolated
ingredient. Because they contain whole herbs and fruits, Ayurvedic
formulas are safer and more effective as opposed to Western
formulations which often times have harmful side effects.
We satisfy the health needs of our customers through safe, well-
researched, and effective Ayurveda based remedies using premier
quality herbal extracts and sound manufacturing practices.

7. In general use, herbs are any plants used for food,
flavoring, medicine, or perfume. Culinary use
typically distinguishes herbs from spices. Herbs
refer to the leafy green parts of a plant (either
fresh or dried), while a "spice" is a product from
another part of the plant (usually dried), including
seeds, berries, bark, roots and fruits. Herbal and
Aromatic plants form a numerically large group
of economically important plants which provide
basic raw materials for medicines, perfumes,
flavors and cosmetics.

8. Medicinal plants are those plants which are rich in
secondary -metabolites and arc potential source of drugs.
These secondary metabolites includes alkoloids,
glycosides, coumarins, flavonides, steroids etc.
1. India is one of the few countries where almost all the
known medicinal plants can be cultivated in some part of
the country or the other. Among various plants there is
great demand in the country and abroad are as opium
poppy, tropane alkaloid bearing plants, sapogenin bearing
yams, senna, cinchona and ipecae.
2. The ancient Indian system of medicine is mainly plant
based matesia medica making use of most of our native
plants. It catres the needs of rural population of our
country.

9. 3. ISM (Indian System of Medicine) offers most appropriate
or first line theorapy against many diseases like jaundice,
asthama, diabetes etc.
4. India has about 2,000 species of medicinal plants and a
vast geographical area with high production potential and
varied agroclirnatical conditions.
5. India is already a major exporter of medicinal plants. It is
estimated that Rs, 86 crores worth of raw materials and
drug from medicinal plants are exported from India.

10. List of herbal plants in India
1.Emblica officinalis (Amla)
2.Saraca asoca (Ashoka)
3.Withania somnifera (Aswagandha)
4.Peeper longum (Long pepper)
5.Asparagus racehorses
(Satavari) 6.Osmium sanctum
(Tulsi) 7.Commiphora wightii
(Guggulu

11. 8. Garlic(Allium sativum)
9. Aloe vera
10.Neem (Azadirachta indica)
11. Chili (Capsicum frutescens)
12. Clove (Syzygium aromaticum)

12. By :-
Akshat Kumar