Review Article of Herbal Medicine

Abstract

Herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, refers to the practice of using plants and their extracts for therapeutic or preventive health purposes. It forms one of the oldest healthcare systems known to humankind and remains an essential part of global medical practices today. Approximately 80% of the world’s population still relies on herbal remedies, either directly or indirectly, for healthcare needs. Herbal medicines are valued for their affordability, accessibility, and lower side-effect profile compared to synthetic pharmaceuticals. This review discusses the history, phytochemical basis, pharmacological actions, therapeutic potential, advantages, safety concerns, and future prospects of herbal medicines in the modern healthcare system.

Keywords

Introduction

Herbal remedies have been used for centuries as a type of therapy in both industrialized and underdeveloped countries. The first humans depended solely on the resources of the natural world for everything from food and shelter to medicine. These people were able to tell the difference between helpful and harmful creatures. Over 50,000 plant species are claimed to have medicinal characteristics based on research that has been published. Modern therapeutic medications like aspirin, morphine, digitoxin, and quinine owe a great deal to the scientific verification of herbal medicine^1,2.

Traditional medical systems all around the world may trace their roots back to the gradual accumulation and spread of information about plant-based cures. Nutraceuticals, which include phytonutrients and herbal medicines, are becoming more popular as a means of treating a broad variety of health disorders across a wide variety of national healthcare systems. Natural remedies have been more popular over the last decade in both developed and developing nations, as seen by the widespread availability of these herbal treatments in both drugstores and food and grocery shops. Traditional medicine, which often involves the use of herbs, is seen as a key part of culture in the places where up to four billion people depend on them as their major source of healthcare^3,4.

Herbal Medicine  :

The WHO has recently defined traditional medicine (including herbal drugs) as comprising therapeutic practices that have been in existence, often for hundreds of years, before the development and spread of modern is the synthesis of therapeutic experience of generations of practicing physicians of indigenous system of medicine. Traditional preparations comprise medicinal plants, minerals and organic matter etc. Herbal drugs constitute only those traditional medicines which primarily use medicinal plant preparations for therapy. The earliest recorded evidence of their use in Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Syrian texts dates back to about 5000 years. The classical Indian texts include Rigveda, Atharvaveda, Charak Samhita and Sushruta Samhita. The herbal medicines / traditional medicaments have therefore been derived from rich traditions of ancient civilizations and scientific heritage⁵.

Fig No.1- Herbal Medicine

LIST OF COMMEN HERBAL  MEDICINE-^7,8

TABLE NO.1 COMMON  HERBS

COMMEN  HERAL  MEDICINES  THEIR   IUPAC  NAME,FAMILY  &  CHEMICAL CONSISTUENTS, USES.

1. GINKGO BILOBA ^8,9
2. SAW PALMETTO :^8,9

3. KAWA KAWA:^8,9

Advantages of Herbal Medicine:¹⁰

• They have long history of use and better patient tolerance as well as acceptance.
• Medicinal plants have a renewable source, which isonly hope for sustainable supplies of cheaper medicines for the world growing population.
• Availability of medicinal plants is not a problem especially in developing countries like India having rich agro-climatic, cultural and ethnic biodiversity.
• Prolong and apparently uneventful use of herbal medicines may offer testimony of their safety and efficacy.
• Throughout the world, herbal medicine has provided many of the most potent medicines to the vast arsenal of drugs available to modern medicinal science, both in crude form and as a pure chemical upon which modern medicines are structured.(12)

Limitations of Herbal Medicines:¹¹

• Ineffective in acute medical care
• Inadequate standardization and lack of quality specifications
• Lack of scientific data

Current & Future Status of Indian Herbal Medicine :

India is sitting on a gold mine of well-recorded and well-practiced knowledge of traditional herbal medicine. India is one of the 12-mega biodiversity centres having over 45,000 plant species. Its diversity is unmatched due to the presence of 16 different agro-climatic zones, 10 vegetative zones and 15 biotic provinces. The country has 15,000–18,000 flowering plants, 23,000 fungi, 2500 algae, 1600 lichens, 1800 bryophytes and 30 million micro-organisms.¹²

India also has equivalent to 3/4 of its land exclusive economic zone in the ocean harbouring a large variety of flora and fauna, many of them with therapeutic properties. About 1500 plants with medicinal uses are mentioned in ancient texts and around 800 plants have been used in traditional medicine. But, unlike China, India has not been able to capitalize on this herbal wealth by promoting its use in the developed world despite their renewed interest in herbam.¹³

CONCLUSION :

Herbal medicine continues to play an indispensable role in global healthcare. Its combination of traditional wisdom and modern science holds immense promise for developing safer and more effective therapies. To fully harness its potential, stringent quality control, standardization, and clinical validation are required. With ethical research and sustainable use of plant resources, herbal medicine can offer a bridge between ancient knowledge and future medical innovation.¹⁴

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