Medicinal Plants of Himalayan Forests

Human civilization has been dependent on plants for food and medicinal purposes since prehistoric times. In history, there has been a plethora of evidence highlighting the effective role of plants and their derived preparations for multiple affections. Even in today’s scenario, about 80% of the worldwide population rely on the traditional system of medicine, and even more than 50% of modern drugs are directly or indirectly prepared from plants. Due to the increasing popularity of herbal-based drugs, the worldwide demand for aromatic and medicinal herbs has increased a lot, and as a result, they are currently proving to be major raw resources for producing traditional and modern conventional drugs. The Himalayas, known to be the world's highest mountain range and one of the youngest mountains, is conceived as the most important source of economically important and unique medicinal herbs. The Himalayan mountain range extends across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, where Nepal and India cover most of the Himalaya region. The diverse range in climate, altitude, and soil conditions of this renowned mountain supports a variety of distinct and valuable flora, which includes a plethora of medicinal plants. Artemisia, Rhododendron, Cinnamomum, Juniperus, Cymbopogon, Aegle, Swertia, Pinus, Origanum, and Saussurea species are some of the major plant genus, whose medicinally important plant species are found in the Himalayan forests. Thus, this chapter summarizes the important Himalayan medicinal plants and their biological effects.