Answer: Medicinal plants are the source of most of the traditional and many modern medicines, and they are also important for health, income and conservation.
- Plants such as Adulsa, tulsi, neem, Sarpagandha, Gudmar and Ashwagandha yield drugs used to treat cough, fever, blood pressure, diabetes and many other diseases.
- Many modern medicines (e.g. quinine, digitalis, morphine) were first obtained from plants, and new drugs are still being searched for in forests.
- They provide raw material to the Ayurvedic and pharmaceutical industry and give employment and income to tribal people and farmers.
- They are used in home remedies and are cheap and easily available; hence their cultivation and conservation are necessary so that they do not become extinct.