Medicinal flora plays an important role in health care systems across
the world. Out of the half million flowering plants, around 50.000
species are valued for their therapeutic properties. During the last few
decades, 20% of the world's population used plants and/or their derived
products as a source of medicine. WHO stated that 80% population around
the globe, specifically the rural communities, depend on medicinal
plants for their basic healthcare needs. To this end, plant-based
phytochemicals are known to have hepato-protective, anti-carcinogenic,
anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant actions.
This book is a guide to 280 plant species of medicinal flora that
demonstrates global relevance. Our goal is to share local knowledge
about phytomedicines to a worldwide audience. It is an illustrated
reference that documents and preserves the existing knowledge on these
plant taxa, with a social and cultural (ethnobotanical) emphasis. This
book also provides comprehensive and useful information about
traditional uses of medicinal plants by the local communities for the
treatment of various prevalent diseases. It contains comprehensive
descriptions of each species including family, synonyms, English name,
distribution, altitude, habitat, morphological description, life form,
part used, mode of utilization, diseases category, recipes, other
medicinal uses, phytochemical activity and toxicity.
