Preface

Pharmacognosy is an interdisciplinary study, drawing from a broad spectrum of biological and even socio-scientific subjects. Even though most of the pharmacognostic studies are focused on medicinal plants / herbal medicines, other organisms are regarded pharmacognostically interesting. Particularly this is true for different types of microbes, i.e. bacteria and fungi. More recently, many marine organisms have become targets of pharmacognostic studies.

The subject deals with natural drugs from plants, animals or minerals and even microorganisms. Therefore the scope of research is extremely wide ranging from traditional medicine to modern biotechnology with phytochemistry and analytical chemistry, which play an important part in the quality assurance of the raw material and their finished products.

This book provides a full picture of research in the area of pharmacognosy with the goal of drug discovery from natural products based on the traditional knowledge or practices. Several plants that have been used as food show their potential as chemopreventive agents and the claims of many medicinal plants used in traditional medicine are now supported by scientific studies.

Drug Discovery Research in Pharmacognosy is a promising road map which will help us find medicine for all!

> **Dr. Omboon Vallisuta**  Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

**Dr. Suleiman M. Olimat**  Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

**1** 

*India* 

**Ayurveda the Ancient** 

*Pharmacy Wing, Jodhpur, Rajasthan,* 

**Science of Healing: An Insight** 

*2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, BIT Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand,* 

The term Ayurveda, a Sanskrit word, translates into knowledge (*Veda*) of life (*Ayur*); *Veda* also means science. After being transmitted orally for thousands of years, the ancient Ayurvedic texts finally were written and preserved in Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language). Founded on the collective wisdom of ancient Hindu saints and healers, Ayurveda grew into a medicinal science. Ancient Ayurveda was meant essentially to promote health, however, rather than fight disease. The Ayurvedic text, an offspring of the *Atharvaveda*, appeared sometime in 1500 to 1000 BC and described two schools of learning physicians Atreya and surgeons Dhanvantari. *Charak Samhita* (1000 BC) and *Sushrut Samhita* (100 AD) are the main classics. Ayurveda materia medica gives detailed descriptions of over 1500 herbs and 10,000 formulations. Madhav Nidan (800 AD) a diagnostic classic provides over 5000 signs and symptoms. There are eight branches of study in Ayurveda: *Kaya Chikitsa* (General Medicine), *Kaumara Bhruthya* (Paediatrics), *Bhutha Vidhya* (Psychiatry), *Salakya* (ENT and Ophthalmology and dentistry), *Shalya* (Surgery), *Agada Tantra* (Toxicology), *Rasayana*  (Rejuvenation Therapy) and *Vajeekarana* (sexual vitality) (Lad, 1995; Agnihotri, 2000; Chopra and Doiphode, 2002; Mukherjee and Wahile, 2006; WHO, 2010; Balasubramani et al., 2011).

In Ayurveda, health is defined as the state where physical body, senses, and psyche are in original or natural state with respect to body and function. Ayurveda believes that both world and human body are made up of five elements earth, water, fire, air, and space (ether) called as *Panch-mahabhuta*. While we are a composite of these five primary elements, certain elements are seen to have an ability to combine to create various physiological functions

The human body according to Ayurveda is made up of somatic *dosas* (*Vata*, *pitta* and *kapha*) and psychic components (*satogun*, *rajogun* and *tamogun*), body tissues or *dhatus* {*Rasa*  (plasma)*, Rakta* (blood)*, Mansa* (muscular tissue)*, Meda* (adipose tissue)*, Asthi* (Bone)*, Majja* (marrow and myeloid tissue) *and Shukra* (Sperm/Ovum)} and waste products or *malas {* 

*mutra* (urine), *purisha* (faeces) and *sveda* (sweat)} (Vasant, 2005).

**1. Introduction** 

**1.1 Core concept of ayurveda** 

(Mishra, 2004).

Manoj Goyal1, D. Sasmal2 and B.P. Nagori1 *1Lachoo Memorial College of Science and Technology,* 
