Traditional Knowledge and Ethnopharmacological Perspectives of Herbal Medicine in India: a Review

Abstract

Natural products are potent sources for healthcare management throughout the world in the areas of clinical and pharmaceutical research to discover new drugs in international pharmacopoeias. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with tribal practitioners in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India to explore the possibility of finding new uses of herbal medicine. The present paper aimed to review the medicinal importance of 24 plants that are mostly used by tribal people for the treatment of several diseases like respiratory, stomach, kidney disorders, diabetes, wound healings etc. Plants are potent sources of secondary metabolites that include alkaloids, glycosides, coumarins, flavonides, steroids and other compounds. Some of the most commonly drugs in modern medical science such as atropine, berberine, digitalis and the anti-cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine originated from plants. Herbal medicines therefore are one of the best alternative methods in discovery and development of new drugs.