Mr. Chetan Sharma

Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare known to mankind. Herbs had been used by all cultures throughout history. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, 80 percent of the world population, presently use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. Herbal medicine is a major component in all indigenous peoples’ traditional medicine and a common element in Ayurvedic, homeopathic, naturopathic, traditional oriental, and Native American Indian medicine. WHO notes that of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74 percent are used in modern medicine in ways that correlated directly with their traditional uses as plant medicines by native cultures. Major pharmaceutical companies are currently conducting extensive research on plant materials gathered from the rain forests and other places for their potential medicinal value.

Herbal Medicine is defined as branch of science in which plant based formulations are used to alleviate the diseases. It is also known as botanical medicine or phytomedicine. In the early twentieth century herbal medicine was prime healthcare system as antibiotics or analgesics were not available. With increasing use of allopathic system of medicine, herbal medicine gradually lost its popularity among people and it was based on the fast therapeutic actions of synthetic drugs. Almost a century has passed and it has witnessed limitations of allopathic system of medicine. Lately herbal medicine has gained momentum and it is evident from the fact that certain herbal remedies are more effective as compare to synthetic drugs.