A detailed multi-centric survey of medicinal plants of Western Ghats funded by Indian Council of Medical Research has taken off. The survey is being conducted by KLES' College of Pharmacy, Belgaum with five teams of investigators as the project area is quite vast and information is scanty. The survey will be followed by clinical trials to establish the scientific efficacy of plants being used for treatment of diseases.

The three-year project aims at surveying medicinal plants, assessing their status by making a scientific account, preparing a database with existing pharmacological and clinical research findings, collecting seasonal and non seasonal plants, preparing and preserving voucher specimens, establishing their botanical identity with the help of taxonomists and documenting details with the help of photographs, diagrams and drawings etc.

The survey will be headed by the principal investigator, F.V.Manvi, principal of KLES' College of Pharmacy and head of department of pharmacology and phytochemistry and three others as co-investigators.

While areas in Goa and Gujarat will be surveyed from Goa, four teams will survey the other states. The project in Karnataka will include Belgaum, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, Dakshina Kannada, Shimoga, Hassan, Kodagu and Mysore districts, covering an area of 4,000 sq. km.

In Goa, the talukas of Bicholi, Satari, Sangeum, Quepem and Canacona where the Western Ghats run over a stretch of 100 km have been identified for the survey. Similarly, Thane, Pune, Satara, Sengali, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Raigad and Mumbai in Maharashtra covering an area of 1,500 km will be part of the survey.

Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Virudhnagar, Madurai and Theni in Tamil Nadu covering an area of 4,000 sq. km and Agastiyar Hills, Minnar, Kottoor, Kottayam and Wynad in Kerala have also been identified. According to ICMR officials, Dr. Manvi and Dr. Hatapakki, the flora in Western Ghats consists of 52 percent of herbs, 18 percent shrubs and 20 percent trees. There are about 400 species of flowering plants here, of which 1,500 are endemic. In fact, 20,000 species of flowering plants are found in India of which about 2,000 are believed to be in use for medicinal purposes.

The country has an estimated 10 lakh practitioners of indigenous health traditions in villages, towns and cities. They include healers, vaidyas, specialists and people from tribal communities. The forests, which are a storehouse of medicinal plants, are fast disappearing due to which many medicinal plants species are on the verge of extinction.

The availability of medical plants has decreased to such an extent that tribal and rural communities no longer have easy access for their own healthcare needs. Hence, there is a need for an exhaustive inventory of medicinal plants in India.

According to Dr. Manvi, the first phase of the survey started in October last year. There is a common protocol for all investigators on collection of data, which is being done from the information provided by local practitioners of indigenous medicine, tribal communities and the literature available on the subject. Field trips are being conducted during different climatic conditions and flowering stages. Information is also being gathered by presenting a questionnaire to healers, midwives and local residents.

So far data on 25 species has been prepared. After data collection, surveys will be conducted in the next priority areas. The PIs will simultaneously prepare Herbarium sheets.

While carrying out the tasks, botanical and vernacular names of plants collected would be noted. Besides, the distribution parts where they are used, ayurvedic description, Sanskrit name, synonyms properties, action/uses, pharmacognostical and taxonomical characteristics, chemical and pharmacological studies and clinical studies will form the basis of a monograph, informed the ICMR officials.