An Exploration of Ethnomedicinal Plants

Herbal medicines are in great demand in both developed and the developing countries in primary healthcare because of their great efficacy and little or no side effects. In India, the indigenous system of medicine namely Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani have been in existence for several centuries. These traditional system of medicine together with homoeopathy and folklore medicine continue to play a significant role largely in the health care system of the population. Nearly 80% of the world population depends upon traditional system of health care (Anonymous 1998). Allopathic drugs have brought a revolution throughout the world but the plant based medicines have its own unique status.