A brief review on ethnomedicinal values of selected sacred plants in india

The dependence of man on his environment is well understood since the beginning of our civilization. Early man’s inquisitiveness about plants was necessitated by his inherent desire and instinct to seek food and medicine for his survival. Thus, plants played a vital role in the progress and evolution of civilization. In India, all the religions adore plants or make use of their parts in several ways to fulfil their socio-religious ceremonies. The traditional worship practices exhibit the symbiotic connection of human beings and nature. Ancient scriptures like Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda also implicates the importance of worshipping of plants and trees as a part of Indian tradition since 1500 BC. Sacred trees establish a principal portion of the ecological heritage of India. Apart from, there is credence that the plants which are holy or being worshipped have medicinal potential too. The scientific documentation of these sacred plant species having ethnomedicinal importance is essential for widening the horizon of research in this field. The present review is an attempt to give a brief description on the importance of certain plants mainly seen in India, which are having a significant role in rites and rituals dealing with cultural heritage, festivals and religious ceremonies standing from birth till death in Indian tradition along with a small enlightenment on their medicinal importance. The study attempts to bring out the rationale of their cultivation enlightening on the important role these plants in human life for their well-known ethnomedicinal values, rather than seeing their cultivation as a mere ritual practice. The study concludes that, the pinnacle of religious pursuit linked with plants having ethnomedicinal importance can upraise the conservation of biological resources and their sustainable use.