Chapter VII

MEDICINAL & AROMATIC PLANTS

Chairperson - Dr.V.M.Pawar,
Vice Chancellor, MKV ,Parbhani
&
Dr.S.N.Puri,
Vice Chancellor, MPKV ,Rahuri

Selection of suitable medicinal and aromatic plants for various

agro-climatic conditions of Maharashtra, in terms of domestic
marketing, exports and processing.
Medicinal and aromatic plants form a numerically large group of economically
important plants which provide basic raw materials for medicines, perfumes, flavours
and cosmetics. These plants and their products not only serve as valuable source of
income for small land holders farmers and entrepreneurs but also earn valuable
foreign exchange by way of export.
India possesses a rich and diverse variety of plant resources to meet the growing
demand for plant-based drugs, perfumery and flavour items. Availability of wide
variation in soil and climate in our country offers great potential for cultivation of
these plants in the country in general and Maharashtra in particular. During the last
decades there has been a renewed
interest in recognising
plants as a Modern system of medicine caters to
source of drugs, perfumes and
only about 20% of population
cosmetics which may be due to little or Traditional system of medicine caters
no side effects associated with their
to about 80% of population
application and user friendly and Ayurveda uses maximum number of
environment friendly products.
naturally occurring substances as
source of medicine
It is therefore necessary to collect,
conserve and evaluate germplasm and Unani, Amchi & Siddha systems
utilize 700, 600 & 600 medicinal
to develop agro technologies for
plants respectively
medicinal and aromatic plants with
potential for farming. The cultivation
aspects of some medicinal and aromatic
plants are given in Table 2 & 3.
Plants have been a major source of therapeutic agents for alleviation or cure of
human diseases since time immemorial. They are extensively utilized throughout

the world in two distinct areas of health management i.e. (i) Modern System of
Medicine system (ii) Traditional Systems of Medicine. At present there are about
130 clinically useful prescription drugs of known chemical structure which are used
in Modern System of Medicine and solely derived from about 100 species of higher
plants. The traditional system of medicine continue to cater in to the medicinal
needs of the about 80% world population. India has a unique position in the world
where a number of Traditional Systems of Medicine are practised such as Ayurveda,
Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy, Yoga and Naturopathy for the total health care. These
systems of medicine are heavily dependent upon the medicinal plants.
A recent study indicates that the herbal drug market continues to grow at the rate of
15% annually. As per the estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), the
global market of the medicinal herbs and herbal products is about 62 billion US$ and
will hit the market by the year 2005 at the level of 5 trillion US$. India is exporting
herbal materials and medicines to the tune of Rs. 550 crores. China
besides meeting its domestic demands, is earning US$ 5 billion per year from herbal
trade. India and China are two great producers of medicinal plants and has
capabilities to earn by export of herbs and herbal products of Rs. 5000 crores by the
year 2005 with generation of employment to 1 crore people.
In India, earlier, the medicines used in indigenous systems of medicines were
generally prepared by the practicing
physicians by themselves, but now this Major Concern
practice has been largely replaced by the
establishment of organised indigenous Lack of Scientific & appropriate
drugs industry.
It is estimated that at agrotechnology for cultivation of
present there are more than 10,800 licensed medicinal plants for different
pharmacies in Indian systems of medicine climatic zones of the country
and nearly 4,60,000 registered practitioners
of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani medicine and Homeopathy. As far as the Ayurvedic
system of medicine is concerned, it does not rule out any substances being used as
potential source of medicine, presently about 1,000 single drugs and 8000
compound formulations of recognised merit are in vogue. Similarly other systems of
medicine prevailing in the country viz., Unani, Amchi and Siddha utilise as many as
700,600, and 600 medicinal plants, respectively.
Several hundred genera are used in herbal remedies and in traditional or folklore
medicines throughout the world. As per one estimate 35-70,000 species have been
used in some culture for medicinal purposes. They are used in the form of crude
drugs which are dried parts of the medicinal plants (root, stem, wood, bark, leaves,
flowers, fruits seeds and in some cases whole plants) or their extracts. There is
much smaller number of plants from which individual active constituents are isolated
and used as medicines, either alone or in combination. The species used for
isolation of active ingredients may be indigenous species growing wild or cultivated,
or hybrids or other cultivated varieties that have been bred for a particular
characteristic.

In our country there are only few herbal drugs which are cultivated on large scale.
The information regarding the area under cultivation of and states where cultivation
is in progress is given in Table 1.
One of the major difficulties of medicinal plants cultivation in large scale is the lack of
scientific and appropriate agrotechnology for different climatic zones of the country.
Although several organisations viz., Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Laboratories, various Indian
Universities, etc. and Research Councils of indigenous systems of medicine,
Department of Indian System of Medicine (ISM), Govt. of India, have taken up the
work of development of appropriate agrotechnologies, and development of high
yielding varieties of medicinal plants, but much efforts are still needed keeping in
view the demands of trade and industry. The details of agrotechnologies and
varieties developed so far by different organisations of India are provided in Table 4.

Export and import of medicinal plants

The world trade in the areas of plant based raw materials for the pharmaceuticals,
drugs, perfumery items, cosmetics is fast and increasing as evidenced by trade
statistics. Although, India exported and
imported large number of medicinal Global market for herbs & herbal
products 62 billion US$
plants, phytopharmaceuticals and their
Expected to grow upto 5 trillion US$

derivatives, its share in the world trade

by the end of 2005 with a growth rate
has been rather insignificant. The export
of over 15% annually
and import data of selected medicinal
plants are provided in Table. Psyllium India can earn Rs. 5000 crores per
year by exports of herbs & herbal
husk and seeds tops the export from
products by 2005 with employment
India, followed by Ayurvedic and Unani
generation for 1 crore people
herbs (NES) and Senna leaves and pods
during the years 1997-99. One of the
reason for large export of Psyllium (isabgol) and Senna is due to the problem of
constipation faced by the Western people for their food and sedentary work habits.
It is interesting to note that a number of items are exported under code number
specified as NES that is Not essentially specified. The NES group include
Ayurvedi and Unani herbs, other plants, other vegetable, sap extracts and other
crude vegetable materials. Thus one does not know exactly what is going out of the
country under the NES regulations.
India is importing certain items which are used as spice as well as medicine such as
casia, clove, nutmeg and cardamom. There are certain items such as liquorice, as
foetida, chiirayita and ginseng roots which are not at all produced in insufficient
amount for internal cosumption as well as for re-export Table 5 to 10.

Strategy to improve trade of medicinal plants and their products

Following strategies are suggested to improve national as international trade of
medicinal plants and their various products :
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

v)
vi)
vii)
viii)

R&D on all aspects of medicinal Improving Trade

plants must be intensified.
Materials of proven safety,
Intensification of R and D
effectivity and quality need only
Export of quality material
be exported.
Processing technology for quality
Indian
plants
must
be
produce
domesticated and cultivated for
Toxicity and efficacy tests
consistent quality of the produce.
Cultivation of exotic plants in
Crop-wise
post
harvest
demand
processing
technology
for
Development of phytomedicinal
obtaining high quality produce
monographs
must be developed.
Devising cropping schedules
Toxicity (safety) and efficacy trials
integrating medicinal plants
need to be conducted on
ayurvedic, unani and sidha medicines and plants drugs.
Cultivation of exotic plants already in extensive usage in USA and Europe
must be introduced in India.
Phytomedicinal monographs for each of the medicinal plant, including
information on physiological effects, efficacy, quality standard and references
etc., are needed to be developed.
Cultivation of medicinal plants should be integrated with that of food crops by
devising suitable cropping schedules.

Processing
Small processing units are being erected by private agencies and the crude form of
product is being sold to the pharmaaceutical companies. Consusltancy can be had
from various central institutes. It can be good enterprise if it is done systematically
by the grower of medicinal plants. The planning is however needed. Normally it is
observed that the people start growing the MPs without surveying the requirement
and then it ends up in loss. Such situation can be avoided after studying the status
and present requirement at indigenous and global level. Frustrations in this kind of
business can be prevented with systematic approach.
The purchaser can be contacted by approaching the concerned patronage. There
can be little more efforts in the begining but once the contacts are established,
further it becomes the routine for the buyer and the producer. The rates can be
negotiable on the basis of demand and supply. In near future, the raw material
requirement is going to be more. Presently, most of the produce is exported abroad
after processing. The western countries have more requirement since they are now
aware of side effects of allopathy drugs. The indigenous people are also now
interested in herbal medicines and it has now become tedious to meet the
requirement of indigenous as well as foreign people. This situation created the need

for systematic cultivation of herbal medicines. Primarily, forests were the major
sources of raw material but with increased population and demand all over the
world, it can not satisfy the raw material needs.
Several MPs are listed but few of them which have demand can be highly
remunerative to the farmer. Several books on medicinal plants are now available
and some doctors and pharmaceutical companies are in need of growers for
furtherance of industry. Benefit can be had of such situation with proper planning.
The economics of cultivation should not be ignored. It is the cost effectiveness that
can make the enterprenership profitable to the grower.
In future, the herbal medicines shall have remarkable scope and people will prefer
herbal drugs for routine ailments instead of planning for allopathic drugs having side
effects. Every pathy has its own advantage. Promotion of herbal medicines may in
no case be harmful to allopathic drugs. It has its own merit and it is certainly life
saving. The merit of herbal medicine can not be ignored. The farmer should be
more tactful in cultivation of MPs and APs after watching the demand.
Conclusion :
Medicinal plants and their various products can be viewed as an important
commodity items for sustainable economic development of the country. There is
also need of organised marketing and trade of medicinal plants and their various
products. To meet the internal and international demands, it has now become
imperative to produce the quality raw materials in significant quantities. This can
only be achieved to promote the domestication and cultivation of medicinal plants
which have internal demand in large quantity and have export and import potential.
Ayurveda incorporates ancient plant remedy for different kind of ailments and it is
now steered up at global level because of its unique approach without side effects.
Considerable countries are interested in herbal medicines and it is supposed to have
bright future. Few medicinal and aromatic plants can be cultivated under rainfed
conditions on neglected shallow soils. Every field has small piece of land which
remains uncultivated due to poor soil properties and water holding capacity.
Presently, it is either occupied by agroforestry or kept fallow for grasses to the
cattles. Small herb like Citronella, Aloe, Mentha, Senna, Sagargoti, Reetha,
Serpagandha, Isabgol, Guggul, Dikamali, Shatawari, Behaada, Birda, Gokarni,
Bhringraj, Belladona and Lemongrass can be grown under natural conditions with
minimum attention and dry farming can be made remunerative. Two objectives can
be achieved. One of utilization of land for additional gain and another for conserving
the important plant species which are now neglected and under extinction due to
deforestation. Future generation can be benefited by this kind of action. Some
species are at the verge of extinction due to heavy exploitation by pharmaceutical
industries. Deforestation resulted in loosing important treasure of unique medicinal
plants. It needs now to be cultivated for harmless medicines.
...

Table 1: Area under cultivation of major medicinal plants in India

Sr.No.
1.
2.

Common name
Psyllium
Opium poppy

3.

Senna

Botanical name
Plantago ovata
Papaver
somniferum
Cassia senna

4.

Cinchona

Cinchona spp.

5.

Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera

6.

Safed musali

Chlorophytum spp.

7.

Periwinkle

8.
9.

Khai katari
Sarpaganadha

10.

Ipecae

Catharanthus
roseus
Solanum spp.
Rauvolfia
serpentina
Cephaelis
ipecacuanha

Source : Kumar, S. (1997) CIMAP-records

Producing states
Rajasthan and Gujrat
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh and Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh
Darjeeling (West Bengal) and
Tamil Nadu
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Uttar Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat &
Uttar Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
and Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Madhya Pradesh
Darjeeling (West Bengal)

Area (ha)
55,000
20,000
20,000
08,000
05,000
05,000
04,000
04,000
02,500
00,100

Table 2 : Cultivation of medicinal crops in Maharashtra

Sr
No

Particulars

CROPS
Ashwaganadha

Shatawari

Safed musali

Jestmadh

Guggul

1.
2.

Season
Soil

Kharif
Medium, well
drained

Kharif
Black & well
drained

Kharif
Medium, well
drained

Kharif
Light to medium

3.

Seed
/seedlings/
ha

1 kg seed
Seedling,
60x30 cm.

Kharif
Light,
medium,
well drained
1 kg seed
Seedling,
1.5 x 1 m

7-8 kg. seed

Seedling,
30x15 cm.

4.

Fertilizers
kg/ha

N:P:K:
15:15:15

N:P:K:
15:15:15

Stem cuttings, 23 months

planting
2x2 m.
N:P:K: 15:15:15

5.

Harvesting
& yield/ha

After 1.5 to
2 years 1215 q dry
roots/ha

After 7 years
500-800 gum/
plant

Use

After 8-10
months 15-20
q/ha wet OR 34 q/ha dry
roots
Diabetics,
Tonic,
Ayurvedic
preparation

After 1.5, up to
3 years 25-50
q/ha

6.

N:P:K:
25:30:25
N:40 after 40
days
After 6
months 1215 q dry
roots/ha OR
100 kg. seed
Tonic,
Cough,
Asthma
Arthritis,
Inflammatory

250-300 kg. wet

roots, cuttings
(3-4 buds),
60x45 cm.
N:P:K: 40:40:0
N:30 every year

Ulcers, Cough,
Asthma
(Laxative,
expectorant)

Arthritis, Cough,
Blood pressure,
Obesity, Heart
problems,
Diabetes

7.

Price

Rs. 50/kg dry

roots

Rs. 50/kg
dry roots

Rs. 400-800
/kg dry roots

Rs. 60/kg dry

roots

Rs. 300/ kg gum

Tonic, More
milk,
Narayan Tel

Table 3 : Cultivation of aromatic crops in Maharashtra

Sr
No

Particulars

CROPS
Java
citronella
Kharif

Roshagawat

Vala

Lemon grass

Kustur bhendi

Kharif

Kharif

Kharif

Kharif

Light, well
drained

Medium, well
drained

2 kg. seed 70x45

cm.

2-3 kg seed

N:P:K: 30:40:40
N:40 after 45
days

N:P:K: 40:40:40
N:40 after 40
days

1.

Season

2.

Soil

Medium,
well drained

Light,
medium,
well drained

3.

Seed/
Slips/ha
spacing

25000 slips
75 x 45 cm.

2.5 kg. seed

75 x 45 or
60 cm.

Light to
medium or
medium
drained
8-10 kg. seed
60 or 75x30
cm.

4.

Fertilizers
kg/ha

N:P:K:
20:60:50
N:30 after

N:P:K:
20:40:40 N:
20 after

N:P:K:
60:30:30
N:20 after 45

5.

Harvesting
& yield/ha

6.

Use

7.

Price

each cutting
4-5 months,
after 3
months 1520 t leaves
150-200
kg.oil
Aromatic oil,
perfurmery
chemicals,
cosmetics,
food
preservation
s, Odomass
Rs. 250350/kg oil

each cutting
4 months
(when
flowering)
20-25 t
leaves 6080 kg.oil
Soap, Skin
diseases,
Perfurmery,
Cosmetic
and flavour
industries

days
15-18 months
30-40 q root
15-20 kg.oil

Rs. 400600/kg oil

4-5 months, after

3 months, 30-40 t
leaves/year 100125 kg.oil/year

3 months
onwards (2
months period)
8-10 q.seed
(1-2% oil)

Cool, Cough,
Attar, High
grade
cosmetics and
perfumes

Cosmetics,
Perfumery, Vit.A,
flavour,
insecticidal

Aromatic, Pan
masala,
Tobacco
products, cough

Rs. 40005000/ kg oil

Rs. 300-500/kg
oil

Rs. 30-40/kg
seed

Table : 4 Agrotechnologies of medicinal plants developed in India

Sr. No.

Name of the plant

Varieties

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Rauvolfia serpentina
Catharanthus roseus
Cassia senna
Hyoscyamus muticus
Hyoscyamus niger
Dubosia myoporides
Alrop belladonna
A. ocuminata
Ammi majus
Claviceps purpurea

RS-1
Nirmal, Dhawal
Sona, ALFT-2
HMY-1, NP-4
Acla, Ackla

11.
12.

Plantago ovata
Papaver somniferum

13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.

Commiphora wightii
Glyeyrrhiza glabra
Withania somnifera
Artemisia annua
Bacopa monnieri
Centella asiatica
Phyllanthus amarus
Dioscroea floribunda
Solanum viarum
Chrysanthenum cinerarifolium

Niharika, Gujarat Isabgol-1 (GL1), Gujarat

Isabgol-2(GL-2), Haryana Isabgol-5 (HI-5)
Syama, Sheveta
Shanchita, Subhra, Sujata Jawahar Aphim16 (JA-16), Trishna (Ic-42), Chetak (40285), Kirtiman (NOP-4), BNBRI-3
Marusudha
Mishri, Haryana Mulcthi
Poshita
Asha, Jeevanraksh, Suraksia
Subodhak, Pragyashkti
Kayakrit, Majjaposhaka
Navyakrit
FB@-1, Ark Upkar
Glaxo, Arka Sanjeevani
Hansa

Source : CIMAP, Records; Sharma RK (1999)

Table 5 : Medicinal plants which have high demand in indigenous drug industry

Sr. No.

Species

Common Name

Plant Part

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Bacopa monnieri
Centella asiatica
Andrographis paniculata
Saraca asoca
Terminalia arjuna
Pterocarpus marsupium
Withania somnifera
Asparagus racemosus
Chlorophytum arundinaceum
Desmodium gangeticum
Gymnema sylvestre
Piper longum
Plumbago zeylanica
Tinospora cordifolia

Jal Brahmi
Brahmi/Mandukapaini
Kalmegh
Ashok
Arjun
Vijaysar
Aswagandha
Satawar
Safed musli
Salpanni
Gurmar
Pippali
Chitrak
Guduchi

Whole plant
Whole plant
Whole plant
Stem bark
Stem bark
Heartwood
Root
Tuberous root
Tuberous root
Root
Leaves
Fruit root
Root
Stem

Table 6 : Major Indian medicinal plants entering global commerce

Sr.
No

Plant Name

Used as source of

Production
cultivated/wild

1.
2.
3.

Acorus calamus
Aloe barbadensis
Ammi majus

Crude drug, essential oil

Fresh leaf juice, Dried leaf extract of
Source of xanthotoxins

4.

Ammi vishaga

Khelin

5.
6.

Atropa acuminata
Atropa belladonna

Crude drug/tropane alkaloid

Atropine and crude drug

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Berberis spp.
Carica papaya
Cassia acutifolia
Catharanthus roseus
Cephalis ipecacuanha

Berberine and crude drug

Papain chymopapain
Crude drug, sennosides
Vinblastine, vincristine, ajmalicine
Crude drug

12.

Cinchona spp.

13.
14.

Dioscorea deltoidea
Matricaria chamomilla

Quinine, quinidine, cinchonine,

cinchonidine, total alkaloids
Disogenin
Crude drug

15.
16.

Plantago ovata
Rauvolfia serpentina

Wild/cultivated
Wild/cultivated
Introduced/
cultivated
Introduced/
cultivated
Wild/cultivated
Introduced/
cultivated
Wild
Cultivated
Cultivated
Cultivated
Cultivated in a
limited extend
Cultivated in
limited extent
Cultivated/Wild
Cultivated in a
limited extent
Cultivated
Cultivated/Wild

17.
18.
19.

Rheum ausstrale
R. webbianum
Swertia chirayita

Seed husk
Rescrpine, rescinnamine, ajmaline,
ajmalicine, serpentine, crude drug
Crude drug
Crude drug
Crude drug

Wild
Wild
Wild

20. Taxus baccata

Taxol and related analogus
Wild
21. Urginia indica
Crude drug, Scillarens-A&B
Wild
22. Valariana wallichii
Crude drug
Wild
Source : Farnswowrth NR et al. (1991); Husain A (1993) and Kumar, S. (1997)

Table 7 : Export of major medicinal plants from India

Sr.
No.

Medicinal plants

Years (Value in lakhs)

1997

1998

1999

1.
1.6
90.3
250.6
Cassia
2.
57.8
52.4
0.6
Cinnamon bark
3.
5.3
24.1
5.6
Clove
4.
2.6
2.8
5.8
Nutmeg
5.
Cardamoms (Large)
1383.5
1167.9
1548.4
6.
Cardamoms (Small)
587.4
442.8
1155.0
7.
287.4
82.3
108.3
Aniseed
8.
7.9
1790.4
0.7
Juniper seed
9.
Turmeric (Fresh)
1509.9
5844.6
3053.1
10.
779.5
784.4
939.4
Celery seed
11.
168.0
215.6
198.2
Dill seed
12.
98.7
48.6
781.8
Cassia powder
13.
8.3
0.2
9.2
Liquorice root
14.
2.1
21.3
36.3
Belladona roots
15.
Agarwood (Chips and dust)
32.5
41.4
30.9
16.
25.2
31.2
94.9
Ambrette seed
17.
1.3
19.7
18.5
Belladona leaves
18.
4.7
33.1
0.5
Chirata
19.
22.4
15.5
19.9
Poppy flower
20.
14250.9
11838.9
11343.8
Psyllium husk
21.
1633.7
1898.6
1398.7
Psyllium seed
22.
1377.3
1380.8
2070.8
Senna leaves and pods
23.
0.2
14.8
9.3
Basil leaves
24.
1.2
2.8
1.4
Neem seed
25.
0.6
32.3
14.3
Neem leaves/powder
26.
2275.7
1701.1
3975.6
Ayurvedic and Unani herbs
Source : Monthly statistics of the foreign trade of India 1997-99. Vol. 1. Exports and Reexports. Directorate General of Commercial intelligence and statistics, Ministry of
Commerce, Government of India, Calcutta.

Table 8 : Medicinal plants used in ISM that are exported from India(NES)
Sr. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.

Species
Acorus calamus
Adhatoda vasica
Berberis aristata
Colchicum luteum
Hedychium spicatum
Heracleum candicans
Aconitum spsecies
Inula racemosa
Juglans regia
Juniperus species
Picrorrhiza kurroa
Punica granatum
Cassia angustifolia
Plantago ovata
Podophyllum hexandrum
Rauvolfiaa serpentina
Rheum emodi
Saussurea lappa
Swertia chiraayita
Valeriana wallichii
Zingiber officinalis

Common name
Vacha
Vasa
Daruhaldi
Colchiicum
Kapur kachri
Kaindal
Vatsanabh
Puskarmool
Akhrot
Aarar
Kutaki
Anar
Senna
Isabgol
Bankakri
Sarpgandha
Revandehini
Kuth
Chirata
Tagar
Adarak

Plant part exported

Rhizome
Leaves
Roots
Rhizome
Rhizome
Rhizome
Root
Root
Bark
Fruits
Rhizome
Flower, Root bark
Leaf, Pod
Seeds
Rhizome
Root
Rhizome
Rhizome
Whole plant
Roots
Rhizome

Table 9 : Import of major medicinal plants from India

Sr.
No.

Medicinal plants

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

Cassia
Clove
Nutmeg (in shell)
Nutmeg (not in shell)
Cardamoms (large)
Cardamoms (small)
Aniseed
Juniper seed
Thymes
Liquorice root
Belladona roots
AGarwood (Chips and dust)
Chirata
Ginseng roots
Light black pepper
Black pepper
Assfoetida
Rudraksha seed

Years (Value in lakhs)

1997
1017.1
1694.3
156.3
193.0
872.3
22.3
419.8
0.8
2.0
167.1
25.1
12.3
92.2
647.3
768.1
882.0
35.9

1998
15.4
271.1
74.9
148.8
1452.0
141.7
264.1
15.0
70.7
5.1
50.7
22.8
119.9
3081.6
275.2
1345.1
38.1

1999
3459.3
7596.3
453.2
621.2
1537.2
690.8
96.2
17.7
0.2
157.3
68.5
11.8
194.9
1927.4
2178.0
39.8

19.
787.7
0.3
9.4
Castor oil
Source : Monthly statistics of the foreign trade of India 1997-98. Volume II. Imports.
Directorate General of Commercial intelligence and statistics, Ministry of Commerce
of India, Calcutta.

Table 10 : Medicinal plants that are imported in India (Under NES)

Sr. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Name of species
Anacyclus pyrethrum
Borago officinalis
Centurea behan
Cydonia oblonga
Glyeyrrhiza glabra
Cuscuta epithymum
Lavendula stoechas
Operculina turpethum
Pimpinella anisum
Paeonia officinalis
Smilex chinensis
Thymus vulgaris
Volutarella divaricata
Panax ginseng

Common name
Akarkara
Gauzoban
Bahman safed
Bihidana
Mulethi
Aftimum vilayati
Ustukhudus
Turpeth
Anise
Udsaleeb
Chobehini
Hasa
Badawar
Ginseng

Recommendations
To improve national and international trade of medicinal and aromatic plants R and D units
must be intensified, materials of proven quality and safety be exported, Indian plants be
domesticated and put

to continuous test for quality assurance, crop-wise post harvest

technology be developed, biosafety trials be conducted, phytomedicinal monographs be

developed and suitable cropping schedules be devised for integration of these plants with
food crops (Action : ICAR/CSR/DSM/CIMAP).

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICINAL AND

AROMATIC PLANTS
Medicinal and aromatic plants form a numerically large group of economically
important plants, which provide basic raw materials for medicines, perfumes,
flavours and cosmetics. These plants and their products not only serve as valuable
source of income for small land holders and entrepreneurs but also earn valuable
foreign exchange by way of export.
Scope for Medicinal Plants in Maharashtra
Maharashtra has different agro-ecological zones suitable for growing different
medicinal plants, which are in demand. However, systematic efforts will need to
push this particular sector agro-ecological zone wise. The plant species will have to

be identified and their package of practices will be developed. Identification of

species will be important criteria for marketing. Therefore, planting material / seed of
known identified varieties from standard source will be important.
1) Planting Material of Known Varieties
Since availability of quality planting material will be essential items of future
development programme the farms of the State Agricultural Universities and
Department of Agriculture and nurseries of Department of Horticulture should
undertake the programme of collection and conservation of different species of
medicinal plants prevalent in the region and their multiplication on a large scale. The
help of KVKs and some of the NGOs will also be important in this endeavour.
2) Cropping System
Many of the medicinal trees will need gestation period of 8-10 years for economic
production. The farmers will need the cropping system, which will be suitable for
giving him economic return from first year onwards. Therefore, inter cropping with
species of shrubs and trees will be very much essential.
3) Post Harvest Technology
The post harvest technology for medicinal and aromatic plants is necessary since
the plants after harvesting in green stage, if stored unprocessed for want of
purchaser may get contaminated with fungi which may impair the quality of the final
product. Therefore, post harvest technology for plants their grading and packaging
and method of storage should be developed.
4) Marketing of Product
It is experienced that the fanners get convinced about the potential of profit from
growing medicinal plants. However, once they enter into business they get frustrated
because of disorganized market. Therefore, concentrated efforts will be needed to
organize marketing of the product produced by the farmers. A cluster of villages for
specified area under cultivation of some species will have to be identified so that the
produce from all the farmers of such cluster will be collected at central place. People
interested in purchasing can be invited which will help in marketing the product
efficiently.
5) Primary Processing
Many items as raw material of aromatic and medicinal plants being very bulky, the
storage of such material becomes a problem more so in the case of aromatic plants.
Therefore, small processing units to serve the need of the cluster of villages will be a
good idea. Small cost effective extraction unit should be developed and Government
will have to support self interest group of farmers for its establishment. Primary
processing from the bulk material at village level will reduce the problem of storage
and risk involved in the same. This will help the farmers to get more price for their

produce.
6) Conservation of Extinct Species
Many species which are grown in various forests / regions have medicinal value.
Because of the constant harvesting required of these plants many of them have
become rare. Therefore, concerted efforts will be needed for their conservation and
multiplication. The help from NGOs and schools for massive campaign to make the
people to grow some of the medicinal plants in their court yard of residential
premises or on the farm bunds will be a good project for conservation of extinct
species.
For protection of different endangered medicinal plant species encouragement
should be given to Government and semi-Government tissue culture laboratories for
multiplication of endangered species so that the planting material can be supplied on
large scale.
7) Quality Control
Four SAUs, Ayurved Rasshala and ATMA should be given permission to establish
quality control laboratories so as to fix the quality parameters for various plant
species and their varieties.
There are many schemes of the Government of Maharashtra including the
Employment Guarantee scheme in which the provisions have been made for
financial support to the farmers who will opt for cultivation of medicinal plant. These
schemes will need further strengthening.

Executive Summary
In future herbal medicines shall have remarkable scope and people will prefer herbal drugs
for routine ailments in stead of planning for allopathic drugs with side effects. Every pathy
has its own advantages. Promotion of herbal medicines may in no case be harmful to
allopathic drugs. It has its own merit and it is certainly life saving. The merit of herbal
medicine can not be ignored. The farmer should be more tactful in cultivation of medicinal
and aromatic plants after watching demand.

Long term plans

Medicinal plants and their various products can be viewed as important commodity items for
sustainable economic development of the country. There is a need of organised marketing
and trade of medicinal plants and their products.

To meet national and international

demands, it is imperative to produce quality raw material in significant quantities.

Aurveda incorporates ancient plant remedy for various ailments without any side-effects. It
has a bright future. Few medicinal and aromatic plants can be cultivated under rainfed
conditions on neglected soils. Putting the neglected patch of land under medicinal plants
like citronella, awla, mentha, reetha, sarpgandha, isabgol, behada, etc. ensures its utilization
for additional gain and thereby helps in conserving important plant species going extinct.