Importance of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

1. Medicinal Value

Bioactive components such as alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, phenols, tannins, antioxidants, and other groups of compounds are found in plants, which are used as anti-cancer, anti-malarial, anti-helminthic or anti-dysentery, etc. Huh. Volatile oils, dyes, latex, and even vegetable oils are widely used as medicines. More than 60% of allopathic medicines are plant-based.

2. Aesthetic Value

Many medicinal and aromatic plants have beautiful flowers and are planted in gardens and homes such as periwinkle, rose, marigold, Hibiscus, Nyctenthus arbotristis, etc. In the Mughal style of gardens, some special plants are planted as a symbol of life and death. Such as Cycas, fruit plants, etc.

3. Religious Value

As a religious country in India, plants are used here in worship and rituals such as basil, pipal, Beal, turmeric, etc. And many plants are also worshiped like basil, Pipal, etc.

4. Use as Spice

Many medicinal plants are in the form of spices which are used in Indian traditional food to make it tasty and their medicinal importance cannot be forgotten like ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek curry leaves, etc. The oleoresin and oil of spices are in great demand in the pharmaceutical sector.

5. Cosmetic use

Many medicinal plants are used to make cosmetic products like the use of Aloe gel, in face cream, face wash, neem is also used in soap, hair oil, face wash, face cream, turmeric is also used in the same way. Many aromatic plants are also useful in perfumes, soaps, hair oils, creams, etc.

6. Industrial Development

Many industries that manufacture pharma and cosmetics products depend on the products of these plants. The synthesis of alkaloids of medicinal plants, and the factories of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics factories depend on these plants for the raw materials from which they grow.

7. Employment Generation

The cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants provides employment to many people. Their cultivation requires year-round labor. In order to synthesize their alkaloids after cultivation, skilled labor is required in pharma factories. There are good employment opportunities for the separation of volatile oil from aromatic plants from distillation and the exchange of their products.

10. Income Generation

Poor and marginal farmers can get good income by cultivating medicinal plants. Because the medicinal plant is a more valuable crop. Mostly medicinal and aromatic plants are grown on a contract with a company, there is no problem of marketing it. Many medicinal plants grow naturally in the forests, which are a means of income for tribal and poor people

11. Source of foreign exchange

Due to the toxicity of antibiotics and synthetic drugs, Western countries are increasingly aware of the fact that medicines derived from natural sources are far safer. Therefore, they are also turning to natural sources of medicines. And India is a mine of medicinal plants where they grow in natural form. Which is in great demand abroad. India exports a lot of alkaloids, and oleoresin, which gives foreign exchange. Essential oils are very expensive and earn good revenue in terms of foreign exchange.