Endangered Medicinal Plants

AUTHOR: A. B. Chaudhuri
PUBLISHER: Daya Publishing House
ISBN: 9788170354413
YEAR: 2007 (First Edition)
PAGES: 223
SIZE: 14 X 22 X 2 cm.
BINDING: Hard
LANGUAGE: English

ABOUT THE BOOK: This is an endeavour of the author to present a vast quantity of fact-based reliable analytical data on the Status (density and frequency etc.) of medicinal plants of India in his book. His inferences have the basis of field-based study on Status of plants the findings of which nullifies much bloated assertions of the experts on pharmacopoeia and of the pharmacologists that India was still a rich store house of medicinal plant resources;
Their findings were never based on analytical (quantitative) data, besides that the systematic botanists have only prepared check lists of plants with morphological descriptions but never mentioned about regeneration and on their status (density, frequency, abundance etc.). So the floras do not speak of status -abundance or decay of various species. The exception was with the foresters who prepared status lists commercial tree species; with the formation of Forest Survey of India the country had adequate status data on commercial tree species of the entire country.
There has been a big lacunae on the status assessment of herbs, shrubs and climbers which form substantial number of medicinal plants. While making his assessment the author has applied his long years of field inventory experience and findings to arrive at a dependable figures. He has stressed that there has been continuous depletion of vegetation brought by various biotic and abiotic factors well displayed in a number of charts and maps. The author has marked the status of species of plants prepared by Chopra, Kirtikar and Bose, S. Bhattacharya. He has also given an outline information of drug plants, export, import/ threats and cultivation. The author desires that it was time to enforce strict conservation measures of flora besides inventory made on herbs, shrubs, climbers on medicinal plants. On the whole the book gives a broad outline of the present status of medicinal plants and some information associated with it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A.B. Chaudhuri, presently a Consultant Geologist was a member of Indian Forest Service. He served as Chief Co-ordinator, Pre-investment Survey of Forest Resources and thereafter as Director, Forest Survey of India, Government of India. Earlier, he served in the State as Divisional Forest Officer and Conservator of Forests. He is the author of 25 books besides innumerable scientific papers. He has done more than 50 National and International assignments on Mangrove, Wildlife, and Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology. He has worked extensively on qualitative and quantitative ecology. He has had significant contribution in the creation of Forest Survey of India on transformation from the mother organization pre-investment Survey of Forest Resources. His various publications have brought wide ranges of information on degradation of soil, depletion of plants, poaching, wildlife and other derogatory factors that the vegetation suffers from.

CONTENTS:
Acknowledgements
Preface
1. Depletion of Land, Deforestation and Medicinal Plant Crisis
2. Medicinal Plants in India - A Observation
3. Ayurveda: An Indian System
4. Potential Drug Plants of Undivided India – Listed by Kirtikar and Basu
5. Some Potential Drug Plants of India – Comments on the List of Sibakali Bhattacharyya
6. Some Potential Drug Plants of India: Comment on R.N. Chopra's List
7. Technology on Trade and Commerce -Imports and Exports
8. Status Assessment of Tree Flora
9. Status Assessment of Shrub Flora
10. Status Assessment of Herb Flora
11. Uses of Some Medicinal Plants of Selected Areas and their Status
12. Potential Drug Plants of Laterite and Arid Zones
13. Potential Medicinal Plants of North-East India
14. Research and Cultivation
15. Conservation Strategy
Appendix
Bibliography
Index