Ayurvedic medicinal plants
Ayurveda (where the term Ayurvedic derived from), is an ancient form of therapy that originated in India which makes use of herbal plants to cure certain ailments using ayurvedic medicinal plants. Based on the definition given, it is also a form of herbal system — the only difference is it only makes use of indigenous plants. We may think that being a “member” of this group of practitioners is easy, but we are wrong. To be a part of this ancient practice, one must have a thorough knowledge of the different medicinal plants which can be found in their area to aid in finding the appropriate cure for a certain ailment.
Ayurvedic medicinal plants – the origins
To be more specific, there are two types of alternative medicine that is widely used all over India: they are Kabiraji and Ayurveda. If you would notice, there are various types of spices that are used in Indian cooking. Aside from giving the food they are mixed into additional flavor, this is also a method or a technique used by Ayurveda because they also believe that the “medicinal power” of a plant reaches its maximum potential when it is digested by our body — in this case, if it is mixed in the food we eat.
Ayurvedic medicinal plants – history
Since India strongly believes in the power of alternative medicines, they proudly display some of their “trusted” medicinal plants for the whole world to see. Since 1997, they have at least 10 postage stamps bearing their image. One of the most popular plant in India can be seen in a stamp issued in 1998. It is called the Neem plant, or the Margosa (Azadirachta indica). It is often called sarva roga nibarak (“healer of all ailments”) in Sanskrit and “the village pharmacy” for most tropical countries. The reason behind this is because almost all the parts of this tree (bark, flower, seeds, etc.) are used in Ayurvedic medicine and are believed to possess medicinal effects.
To date, more and more people (and even doctors) are starting to take interest in this field of alternative medicine. They may be equally interested, but they are for completely different reasons. For the first group of people (us), we are interested because alternative medicines (in this case, Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants) are undeniably cheaper for its components are readily available around us. On the other hand, the doctors are also seen to take interest in this field because they see this as a kind of a competition. Because medicinal plants are far cheaper than those synthetically-produced medicines, the public may opt for the former ones rather than for the latter ones. It is a foreseen fact that if this ayurvedic medicinal plants trend continues, the medical industry will eventually drop and hence, a number of medical practitioners might lose their jobs.