Ayurveda

Traditional herbs have proved to be quiet effective in prevention as well as management of health and disease. Natural herbal remedies formulated by incorporating various plant extracts have up surged as next generation medicinal alternative. Primary health care issues are till date addressed by such formulations in developing country like India. Traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicinal system continues the eldest and ancient one but also living tradition based on experimental evidences. Ayurveda is a science of life company of holistic approach to health and personalized medicine. It is also known to be a perfect medical system that comprises psychological, physical, ethical, spiritual health, and philosophical. In this, every cell is considered to be inherently an important expression of original intelligence hence it is called a self-healing science. These medicinal plants have important position in Ayurveda and are very beneficial because all herbs have many different types of properties which help prevent chronic and severe diseases. Medicinal Plants boost immunity power, maintain the metabolism and prevent infections. They have many properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-viral, anti-aging, anti-cancer, etc and India being highest Medicinal plants producing country in Globe.

Millenary civilizations rely on plants for medicinal purposes in simple forms like decoctions, powders, and ointment and continue even nowadays. Plant based products have always been exploited to promote human health and served as a valuable source for the discovery of new drugs. The knowledge of traditional healthcare system differs from place to place and should have to be documented. My study aims to explore the utilization of plants in cardiovascular disease by the people of Bhadrak District, Odisha, India. In the present study, information on use of plants for cardiovascular diseases was collected from 89 informants using semi-structured interviews, key informant discussions and direct observations. A total of 41 plant species under 28 families have been used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases of which Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Zingiberaceae are the most frequent. The frequently cited species used to treat such ailments are Allium sativum L., Curcuma longa L., Linum usitatissimum L., Ocimum sanctum L., Phyllanthus emblica L., Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth.ex Kurz., Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.ex DC.) Wight & Arn., Tamarindus indica L. and Zingiber officinale Rosc. The leaves are the most commonly used plant part and decoction was the main method of preparation. Herbs (41.5%) and trees (39%) are equally dominant. The present information suggests that the reported medicinal plants can be rich sources for developing new and effective pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, clinical studies of the all the medicinal plants are required for the benefit of posterity.