Factors affecting long-term availability of medicinal plants in India

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The majority of conventional medications and food supplements are created following the processing of medicinal plants. As majority of the medicinal plants are collected from the forests, the rise in the demand for herbal goods is placing significant strain on the forests while encouraging unsustainable wild harvesting of therapeutic plants. The current study's objective is to gain insight into current debates on the value chain of medicinal or therapeutic plants, role of various Indian acts, i.e., Forest Act, Forests Right Act, export, and other variables affecting the sustainable supply of herbs. A targeted literature search on online databases, scientific studies, and authentic texts was performed to understand the value chain, consumption, export, Indian laws, endangered species, and capacity building institutions, limitations, and future of medicinal plants. The World Flora Online database was used to verify the scientific names of the plants. Value chains for medicinal plants are wide and complex. There is need to weaken the role of middlemen and giving forest gatherers and farmers more negotiating leverage especially through artificial intelligence. The Ministry of AYUSH and National Medicinal Plants Board both play significant roles in India's medicinal plant sector. The different acts and rules pertaining to medicinal plants conservation, usage, transit, and trade should work in harmony and there is need for exclusive medicinal plants policy across India. Maintaining a balance between the protection of medical plant species and a sustainable supply of herbs to support the sector based on medicinal plants while empowering forest gatherers is urgently needed