Research and clinical trials to manufacture drugs take years, at times without any results, whereas traditional medicines, which have been around from a long time, can be used to make medicines if they are provided a scientific base, said A. K. Tripathi, Director, Council of Scientific Research (CSIR)-Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.
“Clinical trials are very exhaustive and after a lot of research, we find a drug, but then find that it has side effects. They then try to find another one. However, in India, we know what medicinal plants to use for ailments, but didn’t know what chemicals were there in it,” he said.
He was addressing students and faculty members here while delivering a lecture during the inauguration of the national conference on ‘New Frontiers in Medicinal Plans Research’ (NCMP-2015), at the Koti Women’s College here on Thursday.
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Dr. Tripathi also mentioned that about 80 per cent of the world’s population relies on plant-based medicines and that the Indian herbal industry has over 960 species of plants. “At present, India is the highest producer and exporter of medicinal plants. About 30 or 35 years ago, our country was importing menthol, but systematically, we found the plant species which contains it and began patenting it, from early 1990s,” he stated.
The director of CIMAP also pointed out that pathogens are becoming resistant to anti-biotics and that people are seeking alternative medicines. “Also, plant-based medicines are also useful in containing diabetes as well,” he said.