Role of Medicinal Plants in Ayurveda

Abstract

Introduction: Ayurveda is the traditional Indian system of medicine that has been utilized for thousands of years. It is based on plants that are good for you. These plants have many healing properties and are often used to stop and treat illnesses. As more and more people throughout the world are interested in herbal and natural medicines, it is more vital than ever to learn how Ayurvedic practitioners use and know about medicinal plants.

Aims and Objectives: To look into how important medicinal herbs are in Ayurveda and see how much the participants know about them, how they use them, and how effective they think they are.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive observational study was done in the Department of Dravyaguna (Ayurveda) at Doon Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Sunderpur, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The study included around 150 participants. Data were collected via a standardized questionnaire focusing on demographic characteristics, awareness, commonly used therapeutic plants, and perceived effectiveness. We used descriptive statistics to put together and look at the data we had collected.

Result: Most of the participants who took part were between the ages of 18 and 30 (30%), while the next most were between the ages of 31 and 40 (25.3%). There were only 8.7% of those who were above 60. 54.7% of the people that took part were men, and 45.3% were women. 42.7% of the people who took part knew a lot about medicinal herbs. The three most popular medical herbs were Tulsi (34.7%), Turmeric (27.3%), and Neem (18.7%). Almost 48% of the persons who took part thought that medicinal herbs worked very well, and 36% thought they worked rather well.

Conclusion: The study demonstrates that medicinal plants are very significant in Ayurveda and that the people who took part in it knew a lot about them and liked them. Promoting understanding, empirical evidence, and the prudent application of medicinal plants will facilitate the integration of Ayurvedic herbal therapy into contemporary medical practice.