Lieutenant Governor has said that it is collective responsibility of one and all to promote the best practices of traditional medicine systems and sensitize students, farmers and the public on Ayurveda to build a more resilient and sustainable healthcare ecosystem
Addressing a function, he reiterated the commitment of the Administration to strengthen the preventive and holistic care infrastructure, creating a conducive environment and extending necessary support to Ayurveda Startups.
He rightly underlined that Jammu Kashmir has the potential to lead the country as a wellness and Ayurveda hub.
According to the World Health Organization, estimated 80 percent of people globally rely on herbal medicines for some aspect of their primary health care needs. According to the world health body, around 21,000 plant species have the potential for being used as medicinal plants.
Plants have been used for medicinal purposes long before the prehistoric period. Ancient Unani manuscripts Egyptian papyrus and Chinese writings described the use of herbs. Among ancient civilisations, India has been known to be a rich repository of medicinal plants.
Jammu and Kashmir too is known for high species diversity. The major area of Jammu has a subtropical climate, while the temperate to alpine climate prevails in the Kashmir valley. There are 572 unique medicinal plants in J&K. There is need for formulating a detailed plan for each one of the plants.
Medicinal plants are traded in the form of raw material as well as processed products. These have provided an important source of income for communities living in the region, particularly in Kashmir, for a long time.
According to a survey by NCBI, the medicinal plants in Kashmir Himalayas regulate the livelihood of the people and support cultural ecosystem services. Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Ranunculaceae, Poaceae, Solanaceae, Polygonaceae, Plantaginaceae and Brassicaceae are the top most dominant families.
Humans have been using medicinal plants since ancient times and there has been documentation of these uses.
Most of the drugs, formulated from medical plants, are free of side effects or reactions. This is the reason why herbal treatment is growing in popularity across the world for the treatment of many internal diseases, which are otherwise considered difficult to cure.
While J&K is bestowed with a wide range of medicinal and aromatic plants, which are valuable commodities, there is need to run a sustained campaign to make the farmers aware about the huge potential of herbs and medicinal plants so that they can harvest fruits of new green revolution.
