In 2020, the global market for herbal medicines was estimated at around US$ 185 billion, which is said to grow to around US$ 430 billion by 2028
We are moving away from nature as our lifestyle is becoming techno-savvy. But, since we are a part of nature, we cannot hide from it. Herbs are natural products, and they are eco-friendly, locally available and comparatively healthy because they are free from side effects. To save human lives, there is a need to encourage them.
Although herbs have been prized for centuries for their medicinal, flavouring and aromatic qualities, the synthetic products of the modern age have overshadowed their value.
Herbs are variously used in herbal beauty products, whose demand is increasing as the consumers are becoming more aware of the benefits of exotic herbs.
There is a huge demand for them in both Asian and international cuisine. The preference of the consumers for toiletries, cosmetics and personal care items that are free of chemicals is anticipated to support the expansion of the herbal medicine market.
Some 75 per cent of the people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for some part of their primary health care needs, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). About 30 per cent of all plant species have been used for medicinal purposes at one time or another. Plant drugs are estimated to represent as much as 25 percent of total drugs in developed countries, such as the United States, while the contribution is as high as 80 percent in rapidly developing countries, such as India and China.
India, with 6,600 medicinal plants, is the second-largest exporter of medicinal herbs in the world, after China, which has 11,000 species. They both produce about 75 per cent of the global herbal medicine demand. Medicinal plant care is considered extremely healthy since there are no side effects. The herb, Sanjeevani Booti, is mentioned in the Ramayana to bring back to life a badly injured Laksmana, brother of Lord Rama. Lord Hanuman was instructed to fetch the Sanjeevani herb by flying to the northern side of Mount Meru, where he would find the Nila-Mahagiri, the great blue mountain, beyond which he would find the Rsabhdri, the ox-shaped mountain, with two peaks.
This mountain is described to bear four medicinal herbs, including the Sanjeevani.
Unable to identify the herb, and due to the time factor, Hanuman lifts the entire mountain and carries it to the unconscious Lakshmana, who is healed after its application.
The herb said to have great medicinal properties has been searched unsuccessfully for centuries. The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in northern India committed resources in August 2016 to search for the Sanjeevani Booti. The search was focused on the Dronagiri range of the Himalayas near the Chinese border. The Ramayana mentions a mountain, believed to refer to the Dronagiri range, where the magical herb is supposed to grow. There are around 70,000 plant species that have been used for medicinal purposes in the world.
Nepal, with 9,000 species of flowering plants, is ranked 9th among the Asian countries for its floral wealth. In Nepal, at least 2,000 species of plants are commonly used in traditional medicinal practices.
Traditional medicine in Nepal is used extensively by majority of the population, and includes Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Unani and various forms of indigenous medicine, including Tibetan Amchi medicine. Due to the issues of accessibility to a health centre and other socio-economic and cultural factors, local people rely heavily on traditional forms of medicine.
In 2019, the world experienced a major jolt with the invasion of a strange organism on human life, namely the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Since then, governments, industry, academician and researchers worldwide have made it a priority to counter COV- ID-19 in all possible ways.
Due to the pandemic-induced health concerns globally, demand for traditional herbal medicines, extracts and formulations and immunity booster products is expected to increase further. As Nepal is home to thousands of medicinal plants and herbs, we need to focus on their research, commercial cultivation, production and international trade. India and China have taken the research ofmedicinal plants and herbs seriously to promote them as alternative medicine.Both the countries have established research facilities extensively along with a Ministry of Ayush in India and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicines in China. In April 2022, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
China too has established a number of Chinese academies, technical and pharmaceutical universities to study traditional Chinese medicine. Nepal's diplomacy with the international agencies, including WHO, is clearly lacking in researching Nepali medicinal plants and herbs.
Trade in raw, crude, semi-processed or fully processed medicinal plants and herbs is growing exponentially.
In 2020, the global market for herbal medicines was estimated at around US$ 185 billion.
The industry is estimated to expand at 11 per cent to around US$ 430 billion by 2028. Situated in the middle of two huge economies, Nepal needs to focus on herbal diplomacy and export our natural medicinal plants and herbs.
A Ministry of Ayurveda and yoga, like Ayush in India, is a necessity for our country through which we can create public awareness, promote a natural and healthy lifestyle among the Nepalis, generate income through herbal trade and bring funding through herbal diplomacy.
Nepal possesses a number of distinctive and exceptional geographic features that could be exploited in Nepal's foreign policy to advance the country's long-term national objectives and economic growth.
Nepal is rich in bio-diversity, also regarded as the Amazon of Asia. The hidden treasure of its rich biodiversity is not yet fully explored, including herbs of medicinal value. Many new species could be discovered in Nepal.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 3, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
