Introduction to Medicinal plants

What are medicinal plants?

Plants that provide people with medicines to,

• Prevent diseases
• Maintain health
• Cure ailments

• Various types of plants are used in herbalism and some of these plants have medicinal activities

• They are rich resources of ingredients which can be used in drug development and synthesis

• They play a critical role in the development of human cultures around the world and considered as an important source of nutrition
• It is the original material of herbal medicine

Ayurvedic Sector in Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka has a great history of ayurvedic medicines which goes back to over 2000 years
• Over 1400 plant species in Sri Lanka is Used as medicinal plants
• Medicinal plants and Ayurvedic sector in Sri Lanka has not developed enough in past few decades
• However demand for herbal material has increased during past few years especially for;
• Medicinal purposes
• Beauty care
• Health foods
• Eco tourism

Bio-active Phytochemicals in Medicinal Plants

Non-starch Polysaccharides

• Cellulose
• Hemicellulose
• Gums
• Mucilages
• Pectins
• Lignins

Antibacterial and Antifungal

• Terpenoids
• Alkaloids
• Phenolics

Antioxidants

• Polyphenolic compounds
• Flavanoirs
• Carotenoids
• Tocopherols
• Ascorbic acid

Anticancer

• Carotenoids
• Polyphenols
• Curcumine
• Flavanoids

Detoxifying Agents

• Reductive acids
• Tocopherols
• Phenols
• Indoles
• Aromatic isothiocyanates
• Coumarins
• Flavones
• Carotenoids
• Retinoids
• Cyanates
• Phytosterols

Other

• Alkaloids
• Terpenoids
• Volatile flavor compounds
• Biogenic amines

Why People prefer Medicinal plants as Herbal Remedies

• Easy availability
• Natural thins with minimum side effects
• Cheaper than western medicinal remedies
• Inherent faith

Locations of Herbal Gardens of Sri Lanka

• Haldummulla
• Girandurukotte
• Pattipola
• Pallekele
• Navinna
• Pinnaduwa

Forests with Medicinal Value in Sri Lanka

• Dolukanda
• Ritigala
• Nellikale
• Galoya Forest
• Knuckles
• Adam's Peak
• Kanneliya
• Rumassala

Responsible Government Bodies of Medicinal Plant Sector in Sri Lanka

• The Ministry of Indigenous Medicine
• Department of Ayurveda
• The Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Drug Department
• National Institute of Traditional Medicine
• Bandaranayake Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute
• Ayurvedic Medicinal Council

Problems and Constraints in Sri Lankan Medicinal Plants and Ayurvedic Sector 

• Lack of commercial cultivation of medicinal plants
• Lack of availability of information about medicinal plants
• Lack of availability of quality planting materials for propagation of medicinal plants
• Harvesting of wildly grown medicinal plants unlimitedly (Unsustainable harvesting)
• Lack of emphasis on medicinal plant sector and its development especially, lack of focus on improving knowledge on medicinal plants
• Lack of researches carried out about medicinal plants
• Lack of focus on value additions to medicinal plants
• Inadequate standards set on medicinal plants quality testing
• Lack of commercial scale cultivation
• Poor access for appropriate technology for proper harvesting

Problems in Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine

• Slow action - Often take time to give results
• Difficult to use - Sometimes it can be difficult to find medicinal plants to make preparations

Advantages of  Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine

• Minimum side effects and fewer contradictions
• Better Healing of chronic diseases even though it may take time

Future of Medicinal Plants in Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka has a promising future with regard to medicinal plants as Sri Lanka is rich in medicinal plant resources
• Most of the medicinal plants' medicinal activities are yet to investigate
• Facilities needed to be developed for better utilization of medicinal plants
• Demand for medicinal plants and herbal material will increase over time

Strategies for Improvement of Medicinal Plant Sector in Sri Lanka 

• Improvement of researches based on Medicinal plants
• Carrying out farmer awareness programs
• Improvement of value addition to medicinal plants
• Establishment of database about medicinal plants
• Development of commercial scale cultivation
• Conservation of medicinal plants forests