Contents: Preface. I. Ethnic societies of India and world: their biological contribution to modern civilization in health and nutrition and sustainable development: 1. Ethnobiology : the study of relationships among the ethnic people, plants and animals and cultural and biological diversity. 2. Indigenous societies of world : their role in environmental conservation and sustainable development. 3. Indigenous peoeple of India : the custodians of biodiversity : important plant genetic resources conserved by them. 4. Ethnobiological study of some new sources of wild food used by the tribals of India. 5. Ethnobiological study of some promising medicinal plants from the wild used by the ethnic societies of India. 6. Ethnobiological study of drugs of animal origin used by the tribals of India. II. Traditional and Ethnic Medicines in India and other parts of world : the case for their renaissance and revival: 1. History of traditional medicine in India : a review. 2. Traditional medicine in world : a review. 3. Medicobotany and biochemistry of some medicinal plants used by the traditional healers of India : their traditional and modern uses. 4. Herbal home remedies in India. III. Traditional herbal medicine on the future materia medica of the civilization : the scientific and economic perspectives: 1. Scientific evaluation of medicinal plants used by the traditional healers and their importance in modern medicine. 2. Commercialisation and patenting of herbal drugs used by the traditional healers of India: capitalising from the poor man’s intellectual and biological resources. 3. Biopiracy of medicinal plants used by the traditional healers of India : bioimperialism in the name of bioprospecting. 4. Traditional versus modern medicine : the fate and future of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine in India. 5. World Health Organisation : recognising the importance of traditional herbal medicine in future materia medica of world. 6. Recommendations for promotion of traditional medicine and ethnobiology in India. Appendices: 1. Some prominent ethnobiologists of India and world. 2. List of important medicinal plants used by ethnic society of India in healthcare. 3. Some important plants of India with diverse medicinal values used by the ethnic societies. 4. Important medicinal plants of world discovered through ethnobotanical studies. 5. Medicinal plants of India and world which have gained high reputation in the world’s history of medical science. 6. Modern pharmaceutical and drug industries in India using medicinal plants used by the traditional healers. Bibliography and suggested readings. Author-index. Subject-index. Species-index.
"Ethnobiology is a new discipline studying the knowledge and traditional practices of the indigenous and ethnic societies of world in conservation and use of biodiversity for human health and nutrition and using that knowledge for bioprospecting and biodevelopment. Diverse ethnic societies occupy a large areas on the earth especially those which are rich in biodiversity and there is an intimate relationship between the ethnic diversity and biological diversity. India also has a large population of ethnic people called ‘tribals’ living in forests and remote areas.
"The book has reviewed the wide variety of wild food and medicinal plants used by the tribals and the traditional societies of India. A several of them were unknown to the modern society. Some of them are very promising as a source of food and medicine for the future to fight some of the deadly diseases plaguing the civilisation and eradicate poverty and hunger. Our modern knowledge in biotechnology can use these biological assets of the ethnic people and their knowledge for huge socio-economic gains and for the benefit of the civilization for a better human health and nutrition and for the sustainable development of the human society." (jacket)
