CULTIVATION
Cultivation may be defined as the production of crops (medicinal plants) using prepared land by tending them – either by unskilled or skilled people.
Since ancient times several countries possess the rich heritage of herbal drugs, but only few cultivated plants are in use. Due to the modern development in the scientific approach towards the cultivation of plants, many more drugs have come to use.
Table Of Content
The cultivation of vegetable drugs involves both the aspects, i.e. agricultural and the pharmaceutical.
It involves the sharp knowledge on soil, climate, rainfall, irrigation, altitude, temperature, use of fertilizers and pesticides, genetic manipulation and biochemical aspects of natural drugs.
When all the factors are combined and directed in one direction a new approach to scientific cultivation technology emerges out.
But due to lack of complete knowledge of all such aspects of this scientific cultivation technology, there is a gradual depletion in the drug resources obtained from many plants. Also, we have a very little knowledge on the sources from wild varieties of crude drugs. Due to this, cultivation of certain type of crude drugs has become uneconomical although they are abundantly present in the natural habitat. For e.g., nux-vomica, acacia, myrobalan, etc. On the other hand, crude drugs from cardamom, clove, Indian hemp, poppy latex, tea, cinchona, ginger, linseed, isapgol, Ceylon, cinnamon, saffron, peppermint, fennel, etc. are easily obtained.
.png)
