The West Bengal Forest Department on Friday came out with a unique publication that provides details on 581 species of medicinal plants found across different regions of south Bengal.
The plants are being conserved in situ, that is, where the plants are naturally found, at four medicinal plant conservation areas (MPCA) across south Bengal — Bonnie Camp MPCA South 24 Parganas district, Kakrajhore MPCA at Janagal Mahal in the south-western part of the State, Garh Panchkot MPCA in the Panchet foothills in the Purulia district, and Susinia MPCA located in Bankura near Raghunathpur.
Collections from two ex-situ (conserving in an area where the plants were not originally found) conservation sites at the Amlachati Medicinal Plant Garden about 20 km from Jhargram town and the Digha Medicinal Plant Garden at the Purba Medinipur district have also been included in the 600-page book titled Medicinal Plant Resources of South Bengal .
Out of 20,000 medicinal plants listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), India’s contribution is about 5,000 species. “The publication lists 581 species, which means that one of every 10 species of medicinal plants found in India have been listed in the book,” Santhosha G. R., Divisional Forest Officer, Midnapur Silviculture Division, told The Hindu .
Brink of extinction
Mr. Santhosha emphasised that increasing use of medicinal plants as raw materials by different pharma companies has pushed many of these species to the brink of extinction.
Stating that the volume will help scientists, foresters, researchers and Ayurveda practitioners, N. K. Pandey, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, West Bengal, said that the publication is part of ongoing measures taken up by the State Forest Department to conserve medicinal plants.
A large number of plants compiled in the book are from the Amlachati Medicinal Plant Garden, which boasts of the largest collection of medicinal plants in the country, though it is located in a small area comprising of a few hectares of land. The publication lists medicinal plants in alphabetical order as per their scientific names. For instance, it provides details of three species of asparagus, a climber: Asparagus adscendens, Asparagus officinalis and Asparagus racemosus. All three species are found across south Bengal.
According to the authors of the book, while Asparagus officinalis is used for the treatment of jaundice and rheumatism, Asparagus racemosus is not only used to treat human ailments but also that of cattle, and is sold in the markets of south Bengal by locals.
Significant uses
The roots of a rambling herb Gloriosa superba found across south Bengal are poisonous, but they have certain anti-carcinogenic and anti-malarial properties and are widely sought by pharma companies.
The bark of the medium-sized evergreen tree Saraca asoca (commonly called Asok tree), which is a threatened tree species classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, is used in the treatment of a number of ailments, including heart disease.
One of the authorssaid that sloth bears are reported to feed on the pulp of the Cassia fistula (amaltus) fruit for stomach ailments. The plant also has medicinal properties for treating skin diseases in humans.
“The publication will not only serve as a very important data bank of medicinal plants in the country, but will also generate interest among common people to come forward and conserve medicinal plans by growing them into their home gardens,” Mr. Santhosha said.
