Study to assess high demand and high commercial value Medicinal Plants of Jammu and Kashmir India - with special focus on routes of procurement and identification

Abstract

Despite ancient nature of the tradition, medicinal plants still form the basis of traditional or indigenous health systems and are reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) to still be used by the majority of the populations in most developing countries. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) play a significant role in meeting the demands of the traditional medicine markets which are found both domestically in the producing and in overseas markets. Demand for a wide variety of wild species is increasing with growth in human needs, numbers and commercial trade. With the increased realization that some wild species are being over-exploited, several agencies are recommending that wild species be brought into cultivation systems. The present pharmacognostical study was conducted with the objectives to assess the high demand and high commercial value Medicinal Plants in Jammu and Kashmir and to assess the source of identification of Medicinal raw herbs in Jammu and Kashmir. The study was conducted by randomly selecting 10 districts of two provinces (Jammu and Kashmir) of Jammu and Kashmir. The study was aimed at distributors, retailers and traders of raw herbs and Medicinal Plants. The study was carried out thorough a team of experts who visited the traders of raw medicinal herbs in the identified areas of study. Their feedback was recorded in the form of a questionnaire designed for the said purpose. It was observed that the trade of raw medicinal herbs in J&K is haphazard and erratic with negligible authoritarian control. The high demand species are distinctive with their local availability and the popularity of the herb is directly proportional to availability of the herb in the area. The source of identification of herbs is also erratic, with no expert identification.