A Handbook of Common Medicinal Plants Used in Ayurveda

Medicinal plants have long been used in traditional cultures all over the world and are increasingly becoming popular as natural alternatives to synthetic medicines. The high cost and side-effects of modern drugs, multiple drug-resistance and lack of curative treatment for chronic diseases has rekindled interest in the traditional systems of medicine. Ayurveda is the oldest and most widely practiced traditional system of India, known for its preventive, restorative and holistic mode of treatment. Many medicinal plants used in Ayurveda are effective against many chronic diseases of skin, hepatic disorders, rheumatic diseases, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, respiratory ailments, cognitive disorders and other immunological and lifestyle diseases. The traditional uses of many medicinal plants have been scientifically authenticated by several experimental studies on model animals, human cell lines and clinical trials.