Herbal Gardens of India: A Promising Online Database

Abstract

Everywhere we walk in nature, we are surrounded by medicinal plants growing uncared. Some plants among them are edible, supply nutrients as well as strengthen our various VITAL systems to protect from innumerous diseases. In India, a number of herbal gardens have been established by various funding agencies where a large number of medicinal plant species are maintained. But there is no system available for sharing the information for effective utilization of these public and private funded gardens spread nationwide. Therefore, an idea of creating a web based networking of herbal gardens was conceived and created with generous funding from National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB), New Delhi using technical expertise from Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research (DMAPR), Anand, Gujarat. The DMAPR (www.dmapr.org.in) has developed a web based networking platform of herbal gardens in India to collect and disseminate information on availability of planting material from various gardens to facilitate exchange of planting material among the member herbal gardens as well as others who desire to have these. The network also provides access to information to common people about herbal gardens of India. The site is available at www.herbalgardenindia.org. At present a total of 119 herbal gardens across the country registered as members. The database contains information on species viz., species name, common name, number of plants available in each species, planting material availability etc., maintained in the respective herbal gardens. In the database, species were classified based on the plant habit, viz., tree, shrub, herb and climber. This database also provides various search options such as ‘Species wise’, ‘Scientific name wise’, ‘Common name wise’, ‘Local name wise’, ‘Family wise’, ‘City wise’, ‘State wise’, and also has provision of ‘Advance search’. The networking of herbal gardens has a number of advantages such as one can access information on availability of species, planting material etc., at various herbal gardens. This would also facilitate the collectors to approach nearby garden for the material. Members of this herbal garden network have the access to the website for updating their data from time to time.