Man’s reliance on natural resources for health and disease mitigation was an integral part of all human civilisations, said C. Jayabaskaran, Biochemistry Professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Dr. Jayabaskaran was delivering the keynote address, after inaugurating a two-day workshop on ‘Medicinal plant conservation, cultivation and value addition’, organised by the School of Biosciences on Friday. The workshop was held at the Mar Athanasios College For Advanced Studies (MACFAST) at Thukalasserry, near Thiruvalla.
According to him, plants and endophytes are well-known sources of bioactive secondary metabolites with potent medical, agricultural and industrial applications. He said the therapeutically valuable secondary metabolites have provided some of the most effective treatment for various human diseases, including cancer.
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The workshop was sponsored by the State Medicinal Plants Board, Kerala. Varghese Abraham, college administrator, presided.
Beena Cherian, Dean of MACFAST Biocampus, and Biju Dharmapalan, School of Biosciences head, were among thse who spoke.