The Hyderabad-based Nandan Biomatrix is betting high on Jatropha plant, as part of its initiative for developing four nurseries. In the next two years, the company is planning to develop and launch nutraceuticals. The focus will be on non-communicable diseases, B Jaya Kumar, director- R&D told Pharmabiz.

Jatropha is an integrated plant with multi-utilities and farmers can benefit from it, as it finds great potential to be used in allopathy and homeopathy forms of treatment. Isoflavones present in Jatropha have nutraceuticals value. The Central Government has earmarked about four lakh hectares of land for Jatropha cultivation, recently.

Jatropha's leaves, leaf juice, barks, latex and seed have medicinal properties and crude Jatropha oil can be used as antibiotic, he added.

Natural products are gradually gaining prominence in the healthcare industry and many pharma giants have set up natural products division to utilise the potential in the segment. Natural products will take over synthetic products and chemicals very soon, Dr Kumar added.

The company is to initiate setting up of a medicinal plant park near Udaipur in Rajasthan in coordination with the State Government and an ayurvedic college. It plans to carry out research and development on Jatropha once the project is completed, CS Jadhav, director, Marketing said.

It may be noted that the Department of Biotechnology is developing planting material of Jatropha through tissue culture. The National Botanical Research Institute and ICRISAT have also found the potential in the plant and carrying out research. Nandan is aiming at becoming the largest feedstock provider of Jatropha.

Nandan is working on various other medicinal plants and it is primarily focusing on diseases such as diabetes, respiratory disorders, heart diseases, cancers, menstrual disorders, stress, impotency and obesity.