Recently there has been a shift in universal trend from synthetic to herbal medicine, which we can say ‘Return to Nature’. Medicinal plants have been known for millennia and are highly esteemed all over the world as a rich source of therapeutic agents for the prevention of diseases and ailments.
Indian Trade
in Medicine and Aromatic Plants
Recently there has been a shift in universal trend from
synthetic to herbal medicine, which we can say ‘Return to Nature’. Medicinal
plants have been known for millennia and are highly esteemed all over the world
as a rich source of therapeutic agents for the prevention of diseases and ailments.
Nature has bestowed our country with an enormous wealth of medicinal plants;
therefore, India has often been referred to as the medicinal garden of the
world. Countries with ancient civilizations, such as China, India, South
America, Egypt, etc., are still using several plant remedies for various
conditions. In this regard, India has a unique position in the world, where a
number of recognized indigenous systems of medicine, viz. Ayurveda, Siddha,
Unani, Homeopathy, Yoga and Naturopathy are being utilized for the health care
of people. No doubts that the herbal drugs are popular among rural and urban
community of India. The one reason for the popularity and acceptability is the
belief that all natural products are safe. The demand for plant-based
medicines, health products, pharmaceuticals, food supplement, cosmetics, etc.,
are increasing in both developing and developed countries due to the growing
recognition that the natural products are nontoxic, have less side effects and
easily available at affordable prices. Nowadays, there is a revival of interest
with herbal-based medicine due to the increasing realization of the health
hazards associated with the indiscriminate use of modern medicine, and the
herbal drug industries is now very fast growing sector in the international
market. But unfortunately, India has not done well in this international trade
of herbal industry due to lack of scientific input in herbal drugs. So, it
would be appropriate to highlight the market potential of herbal products that
would open floodgate for development of market potential in India. With these
objects, we reviewed here the market potential of herbal medicine in India.
The export of medicinal plants and herbs from India has been
quite substantial for the last few years. India has a large endemic flora.
There are more than 80,000 medicinal plants known, and nearly 180 plant-derived
chemical compounds have been developed as modern pharmaceuticals, which are
included in the Pharmacopoeia of India. The domestic ayurvedic market is
estimated to be US$ 1 billion, and is growing at the rate of 15–20% annually.
India has been the major supplier of medicinal plants in the world market until
1977, when it was kept to second position by South Korea with export worth only
Rs. 16 crore during 1978–79. The quantum of export had dropped to almost half
of what it was in 1976–77 when India exported medicinal plants worth around Rs.
29.8 crore. The items of export value were opium, psyltium husks and seeds,
Vinca rosea, kuth roots and senna leaves and pods. At present the annual trade
of Indian medicinal plants is estimated to be 37,200 tonnes valued around US$
93,540,272.00, which is expected to be increased to US$ 629,194,624.00 by 2005.
During 1980s, India was the largest supplier of medicinal plants to the world
market with the supply of 10.555 metric tonnes of medicinal plant material and
about 14 metric tonnes of plant-derived products and their derivatives. The
annual turn over was around US$ 300 million. In 1995, psyllium husk, seeds and
senna were the main export items from India. During 1998–99, India exported
psyllium husk worth US$ 19.6 million and senna leaves worth US$ 22.4. India
also exported finished ayurvedic and unani medicine during the year 2000–01. It
exported medicine worth around US$ 128 million to various countries including
United States, Germany, Russia, UK, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
The global herbal industry is estimated to be US$ 50 billion
annually and growing at the rate of 5.5–6.5% annually. The Indian contribution
to the global industry is around 10% only. One of the important items of
export, covering approximately 80% of the world requirement, is a proteolytic
enzyme, papain mainly manufactured in Maharashtra from raw papaya fruits. The
commercial production of pectin from thalmus of sunflower is also carried out
at Jalgaon in Maharashtra.
India is one of the few countries in the world where
essential oils industry was developed at a very early stage.
The essential oils, perfumes and flavours have been
asso-ciated with Indian civilization for several thousand years. Because of its
vast area and a variety of soil and climate, essential oils containing plants
of all types can be grown in one or the other parts of the country. India
produces essential oils from wild and commercially grown plants in appreciable
quantities such as palmarosa, citronella, calamus, cardamom, celery seed,
cedarwood, dill, ginger, lemon grass, vetiver and rose oil. The annual
production of coriander is about 243,000 tonnes, which constitute approximately
80% of the world demand. About 30% of global demand in cardamom and 15% in
saffron are met by India. The annual production of saffron is approximately 150
tonnes.
The most significant export is of the sandalwood oil, for
which our country is the major producer, exporting approximately 50–60 tonnes
to the world market. India is a leader in the production of menthol as mentha
oil steadily expanded in the last decade during the year 2000–01. India
exported about 3,870 tonnes of mint oil worth about Rs. 1.26 billion. India is
also a leader in the production and export of high value perfumes (attars) for
the world market.
The domestic market of Indian traditional system of medicine
comprising of ayurveda, unani, siddha and homeopathy has been reported to the
tune of approximately Rs. 5,000 crore only, and India is at present exporting
herbal medicines and materials to the value of about Rs. 550 crore only. In the
domestic market, the ayurvedic medicines account for a major portion, about 85%
as compared to unani, siddha and homeopathy system. The total patent and
proprietary medicines of these systems are manufactured by over 9,500 licensed
pharmacies/herbal manufacturing units spread all over India.
With the development of phytochemical industry in India,
domestic requirement for various medicinal plants grew considerably.
Consequently, the Govt. of India has adopted restrictive export policy in
respect of those crude drugs, which were indiscriminately exploited in the
forest, such as rauwolfia, podophyllum, Indian rhubarb, dioscorea, kuth,
jatamansi, Atropa acuminata, Artemisia brevifolia, berberis,
colchicum, Ephedra gerardiana, Gentiana kurroa, Picrorhiza kurroa, Swertia chirata, Valerian wallichii,
etc. However, with due permission
from the Chief Conservator of Forest or officer authorized by him; the material
of plantation or of nursery origin certificate can be exported.
These medicines are mainly consumed within the country and
some of these are also exported to the Middle East. Major destination countries
are the United States, Nepal, Japan, Sri Lanka, Russia, Germany, Italy, Nigeria
and UAE, and according to the survey reports, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Ban-gladesh and
Mauritius are the countries having maximum export potential.
The major pharmaceuticals exported from India in the recent
years were isabgol, vinca extract, senna derivatives, castor oil in dehydrated
form, beta ionone, papain, berberine hydrochloride and opium alkaloids.
India’s export of essential oils during last few years has
shown the erratic trends. The sandalwood oil share is more than 50% in the
total export; the United States accounted for major share of exports of this
item followed by USSR. The mentha oil has the same export trend as the cheaper
quality is being exported by China. India is also exporting volatile oils to
France, Japan, Sudan, Germany and Switzerland. The other important items of
export value are cardamom oil, lemon grass oil, palmarosa oil, pudina oil,
peppermint oil, clove oil, geranium oil, vetiver oil and lavender oil.
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