Traditional Herbal Knowledge: Ray of Hope for New Drug Development

Ethno botanical research on medicinal plants is getting much importance and it is included among the advanced research in India during the recent years. Plants have much relevance on Socio-economic, Socio-religious aspects of human life in India. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 80% of the population of developing countries relies on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their primary health care needs. Transition from synthetic drugs and microbially produced antibiotics to plant based drugs is rapidly gaining acceptance.

Tribals in India rely upon herbal medication and they have been using plant resources for curing various human ailments from time immemorial. I have seen tribals in Patalkot, a deep valley amidst the giant hills of Satpura in Central India, still performing herbal practices. Dang District in Gujarat is also a treasure of traditional herbal knowledge. Tribals of both these remote areas and many more in Indian sub-continent have the unexplained remedies to cure cancer, bronchial asthma, diabetes, impotency, skin disorders, jaundice, eye disorders, arthritis, obesity, gynac problems, hair falling etc. It appears that one of the best sources for finding plant species to test is still the healer's pouch, because such plants have been often been tested by generations of indigenous people.

Traditional herbal knowledge can be the major source of new pharmaceuticals. In the 20th century, however, advances in molecular biology and pharmacology led to a precipitous decline in the importance of ethnobotany in drug discovery programmes but the pendulum is slowly swinging back. It is possible to accomplish in a few minutes what once took months to analyze in the lab by making TMP (Traditional Medicinal Practices) a source of information. Indeed, it is an age old tried, tested and trusted practice.

Today, the tribal healers continue to live in extreme poverty, and their social lives are built around the search for food. They have always lived close to nature, depending on it for survival. Medicinal plants are part of our social life too. Home remedies are less expensive than other system of medicines. Drugs in chemical doses or synthetic form have swapped herbal healing at a certain level. But, now people have started realizing various problems related with synthetic drugs i.e. side effects, chemical pollution, cost and availability of drugs. Renaissance and awareness on herbal medication is coming back now. Herbal drugs are safer, cheap, and undoubtedly eco-friendly. Anyone can afford these medicines. These herbs show lesser side effects. Tribals and rural people in India have immense knowledge of herbs and their uses. It is need of the hour to document their knowledge and also it is important to safeguard their knowledge. One should respect and reward their Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). After the documentation, the knowledge holder should be given credit. It is indeed necessary to provide them with a sense of security. Modern science has to learn a lot from the folk medicines and the herbal experts. Various esteemed Universities, research organizations and NGO’s are now exploring botanical medicine and folk remedies by scouting and documentation of tribal traditional herbal knowledge. Botanists, Physicians and Pharmacists are working together to tap the botanical riches and the knowledge of folk healers worldwide but they should always acknowledge the tribal healers and try to uplift them by providing financial as well as moral support. Universities and NGOs collect grants from various agencies but it is sad that they publish research papers and present their work on conference platforms but never remember the real knowledge holder i.e. the tribal traditional knowledge healer. Still, today, for many, these healers remain unsung heroes without getting proper recognition and reward to their knowledge.