Forest Resources of Jharkhand, Eastern India …
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around the world for medicinal purposes (Sukumaran and Raj 2010) and about 70–
80% people around the globe rely on medicinal plants for primary health care (Singh
2002). Plants are an enormous source of medicines, useful in the treatment of various diseases (Bako et al. 2005). Medicinal plants have been used for centuries in
traditional healthcare systems and numerous cultures around the world still rely on
plants for their primary health care. Traditional herbal remedies with minimum side
effects and low cost, people in developing countries like Bangladesh (90%), Myanmar (85%), India (80%), Nepal (75%), Sri Lanka (65%) and Indonesia (60%) have
strong belief in this system of medicine (Salam et al. 2016). Plants and plant-based
treatments are the basis of several of the modern pharmaceuticals we used today
for our various diseases (Abraham 1981; Atal and Kapur 1982). About 80% of the
world population relies on traditional medicines for prime health care, most of which
involve the use of herbal extracts (Sandhya et al. 2006). In developing countries, more
than 80% of the population hangs on traditionalherbal-based medicine, and even in
the USA, 25% of the prescription drugs are still based on phytochemicals. Forests
signify an important source for local who gather and sell medicinal plants as part of
their livelihood (Seth 2003; Adnan and Hölscher 2011). Local healers have significant knowledge, information, and understanding of a wide range of medicinal plants
and their formulations and curative properties that are useful to cure the common
ailments (Saikia and Khan 2011). Ancient ethnic communities around the world have
learnt to utilize their neighbourhood herbal wealth for curative as well as offensive
purposes (Subramoniam and Pushpangadan 1995).
The World Conservation Union Medicinal Plant Specialist Group has globally
assessed 2,70,000 plant species out of which 33,798 species identified as being at
risk of extinction and 380 plant species are registered as extinct in the wild. The
World Health Organization has estimated that the herbal market will grow up to 5
trillion dollars by 2050 A.D. at a growth rate of 20% per annum from the present
level of 76 billion dollars. Out of this, European Union accounts for about 50%,
Japan 16% and USA 11% of share. Asian countries together share only 19% in
which India accounts for less than 0.3% of total herbal medicines market (Rastogi
and Mehrotra 1990). In India, medicinal plants found from Himalayan to marine
and desert to rainforest ecosystems, and almost 95% of the traditional system such
as Unani, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Siddha formulations are based on the plant
(Satyavati et al. 1987). India is the world’s second largest exporter of medicinal
plants after China and both countries together produce more than 70% of the total
global demand for herbal products (FICCI 2017). Indian system of medicine has
documented 1800 species of medicinal value in which nearly 880 species are being
traded in India (Dobriyal and Narayana 1998; Gupta and Chitme 2000). Out of these
880 species, 538 (61%) are extracted from the forest, 88 species (10%) are from
cultivation, 212 species (25%) are sourced both from the forest as well as cultivation
and 42 species (4%) are imported from different countries (Kumar and Janagam
2011). Domestic demand of medicinal plants has been estimated 1,95,000 MT for
the year of 2014–15 while total consumption of herbal raw drug in the country for
the year 2014–15 has been estimated 5,12,000 MT. Large numbers of commercially
important medicinal plants are common in the forests of Jharkhand as well as grown
87
around the world for medicinal purposes (Sukumaran and Raj 2010) and about 70–
80% people around the globe rely on medicinal plants for primary health care (Singh
2002). Plants are an enormous source of medicines, useful in the treatment of various diseases (Bako et al. 2005). Medicinal plants have been used for centuries in
traditional healthcare systems and numerous cultures around the world still rely on
plants for their primary health care. Traditional herbal remedies with minimum side
effects and low cost, people in developing countries like Bangladesh (90%), Myanmar (85%), India (80%), Nepal (75%), Sri Lanka (65%) and Indonesia (60%) have
strong belief in this system of medicine (Salam et al. 2016). Plants and plant-based
treatments are the basis of several of the modern pharmaceuticals we used today
for our various diseases (Abraham 1981; Atal and Kapur 1982). About 80% of the
world population relies on traditional medicines for prime health care, most of which
involve the use of herbal extracts (Sandhya et al. 2006). In developing countries, more
than 80% of the population hangs on traditionalherbal-based medicine, and even in
the USA, 25% of the prescription drugs are still based on phytochemicals. Forests
signify an important source for local who gather and sell medicinal plants as part of
their livelihood (Seth 2003; Adnan and Hölscher 2011). Local healers have significant knowledge, information, and understanding of a wide range of medicinal plants
and their formulations and curative properties that are useful to cure the common
ailments (Saikia and Khan 2011). Ancient ethnic communities around the world have
learnt to utilize their neighbourhood herbal wealth for curative as well as offensive
purposes (Subramoniam and Pushpangadan 1995).
The World Conservation Union Medicinal Plant Specialist Group has globally
assessed 2,70,000 plant species out of which 33,798 species identified as being at
risk of extinction and 380 plant species are registered as extinct in the wild. The
World Health Organization has estimated that the herbal market will grow up to 5
trillion dollars by 2050 A.D. at a growth rate of 20% per annum from the present
level of 76 billion dollars. Out of this, European Union accounts for about 50%,
Japan 16% and USA 11% of share. Asian countries together share only 19% in
which India accounts for less than 0.3% of total herbal medicines market (Rastogi
and Mehrotra 1990). In India, medicinal plants found from Himalayan to marine
and desert to rainforest ecosystems, and almost 95% of the traditional system such
as Unani, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Siddha formulations are based on the plant
(Satyavati et al. 1987). India is the world’s second largest exporter of medicinal
plants after China and both countries together produce more than 70% of the total
global demand for herbal products (FICCI 2017). Indian system of medicine has
documented 1800 species of medicinal value in which nearly 880 species are being
traded in India (Dobriyal and Narayana 1998; Gupta and Chitme 2000). Out of these
880 species, 538 (61%) are extracted from the forest, 88 species (10%) are from
cultivation, 212 species (25%) are sourced both from the forest as well as cultivation
and 42 species (4%) are imported from different countries (Kumar and Janagam
2011). Domestic demand of medicinal plants has been estimated 1,95,000 MT for
the year of 2014–15 while total consumption of herbal raw drug in the country for
the year 2014–15 has been estimated 5,12,000 MT. Large numbers of commercially
important medicinal plants are common in the forests of Jharkhand as well as grown