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| BOOK REVIEW |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 6
| Issue : 3 | Page : 195-196 |
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Ayurveda-based seasonal collection practices for selected medicinal plants: A scientific appraisal––book review
Mukesh B Chincholikar, Bidhan Mahajon, Ashish K Tripathi
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India, New Delhi, India
| Date of Submission | 13-Jan-2022 |
| Date of Acceptance | 17-Jan-2022 |
| Date of Web Publication | 25-Mar-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Mukesh B Chincholikar
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India, 61 65, Institutional Area, Opposite D-Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi 110058.
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/jdras.jdras_5_22
How to cite this article:
Chincholikar MB, Mahajon B, Tripathi AK. Ayurveda-based seasonal collection practices for selected medicinal plants: A scientific appraisal––book review. J Drug Res Ayurvedic Sci 2021;6:195-6 |
How to cite this URL:
Chincholikar MB, Mahajon B, Tripathi AK. Ayurveda-based seasonal collection practices for selected medicinal plants: A scientific appraisal––book review. J Drug Res Ayurvedic Sci [serial online] 2021 [cited 2022 Jul 7];6:195-6. Available from: http://www.jdrasccras.com/text.asp?2021/6/3/195/340871 |
This publication deals with the best procurement (harvesting) time for certain herbs by analyzing the seasonal variation in bioactive secondary metabolites with quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Establishment and validation of best procurement (harvesting) time is very essential for procuring quality drugs. The book reveals the facts embodied in ancient texts concerning the suitable season for the collection of selected medicinal plants based on basic tenets of Vrikshayurveda (the science of plants) and other classical references. Although, the season of collection of the different useful plant parts for therapeutic purpose has been mentioned in the classical literatures viz., leaves/branches should be collected in varsha and vasanta ritu; root in grishma or shishira ritu; and bark/whole plant in sharad ritu need contemporary scientific validation for their attributes and principles.
The introduction part of the book contains a brief description about Aushadha Sangrahana—collection method of Medicinal plants’ useful parts according to ancient literature; Aushadha Sangrahana Sthana/Kshetra—site selection for collection; Aushadha Sangrahana Kala—time of collection/harvesting; field collection practices—harvesting season for different parts of the plant; field collection practices—according to the potency of drugs; and scientific rationale of harvesting (season, time, and place) of the medicinal plants.
Methodology section details the study conducted on 10 medicinal plants viz., stem bark ofArjuna—Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight and Arn; root of Ashwagandha—Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal; whole plant of Bhringaraj—Eclipta prostrata L.; whole plant of Kalmegh—Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees; whole plant of Kantakari—Solanum virginianum L; whole plant of Mandookparni—Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.; root of Shatavari—Asparagus racemosus Willd; whole plant of Tamalaki—Phyllanthus amarus Schum and Thonn; rhizome of Vacha- Acorus calamus L.; and leaf of Vasa—Adhatoda vasica Nees.
Plants have been collected and authenticated from the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), Jhansi garden according to their availability in all six Ritu (seasons), that is, Shishira (Jan–Feb), Vasanta (Mar–Apr), Grishma (May–Jun), Varsha (Jul–Aug), Sharad (Sept–Oct), and Hemanta (Nov–Dec). This section also vividly describes the growing stages of the medicinal plants in different seasons along with colored photographs; collection of plant material and authentication; drying of plant material; and pharmacognostical characters such as macroscopic analysis, microscopic analysis, and powder drug analysis. Chemical standardization like quantitative HPLC analysis of each 10 medicinal plants was carried out at Captain Srinivasa Murthy Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CSMCARI), Chennai.
The “Result and Discussion” part of the book states that the maximum concentration of the active constituents of the plants was found more in the Aushadha Sangrahan Kala (appropriate time of plant collection) mentioned in Ayurveda texts. The slight variation was seen in the quantitative profile of principal biomarkers of selected plants in comparison to classical literature, which may be due to geographical and region-specific climatic variations.
| Salient Features of the Book | |  |
- ➣ This book is an outcome of scientific study to generate tangible scientific evidences to establish the good collection and harvesting practices as described in Ayurvedic classical literature by adopting pharmacognostical and phytochemical parameters of high relevance, which are attributable to the quality and biological activity of the botanicals.
- ➣ Pharmacognostical analysis comprising of microscopy and powder microscopy showed the same features in all the six seasons except the plants which showed floral and fruit parts in their respective flowering and fruiting seasons in powder drug analysis.
| Way Forward | | |
This publication would certainly serve as a useful reference document for scientists, academicians, policy makers, and industry working in Ayurveda and medicinal plants section and will also be of immense help to scholars pursuing research.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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