Yao, Ruyu;
Heinrich, Michael;
Zhang, Bengang;
Wei, Xueping;
Qi, Yaodong;
Gao, Weiwei;
(2023)
Single botanical drugs in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India—A quantitative ethnobotanical analysis.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
, 14
, Article 1136446. 10.3389/fphar.2023.1136446.
Preview |
Text
fphar-14-1136446.pdf - Published Version Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Developing evidence-based uses of herbal medicines and natural product-based drug discovery are two core aims of ethnopharmacology. This requires an understanding of the medicinal plants and the traditional medical knowledge associated with them which is a basis for cross-cultural comparison. The botanical drugs of traditional medical systems are still not understood well, even for well-known and widely respected traditions like Ayurveda. In this study, a quantitative ethnobotanical analysis was performed on the single botanical drugs included in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API), presenting an overview on the medicinal plants of Ayurveda from perspectives of plant systematics and medical ethnobotany. Part-I of API includes 621 single botanical drugs, which are sourced from 393 species (323 genera in 115 families). Of these, 96 species yield two or more drugs, together accounting for 238 drugs. Taking the traditional concepts, biomedical uses and the pragmatic disease classification into account, therapeutic uses of these botanical drugs are sorted into 20 categories, which meet primary health demands. The therapeutic uses of the drugs sourced from the same species may differ considerably, but 30 of the 238 drugs are used in highly similar way. The comparative phylogenetic analysis identifies 172 species with high potential for specific therapeutic uses. This medical ethnobotanical assessment for the first time provides a comprehensive understanding on the single botanical drugs in API from the perspective of medical botany using an “etic” (scientist-oriented) approach. This study also highlights the importance of quantitative ethnobotanic methods in understanding traditional medical knowledge.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Single botanical drugs in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India—A quantitative ethnobotanical analysis |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fphar.2023.1136446 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1136446 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2023 Yao, Heinrich, Zhang, Wei, Qi and Gao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | botanical drug, medical flora, Pharmacopoeia, ayurveda, quantitative ethnobotany |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Pharma and Bio Chemistry |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10171687 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
