Zeitschrift für Arzneimittelstoffwechsel und Toxikologie
Offener Zugang

Abstrakt

WEEDS: An important source of natural Medicine

Rajeev Singh, Anamika Singh

Medicinal biology is one of the oldest fields of Biology, and it originates from Ayurveda.  Ayurveda mainly focuses about life style and incorporation of natural resources (plant) for the betterment of human being. There are many cultivated plant which are used as food while there are many unwanted plants, which have tendency to grow them, whenever they will get favorable conditions, we treat them as unwanted plants (weeds). This is the era of natural science and treatment of diseases through nature. There are many common weeds, which have very important chemical compounds. These chemical compounds can be treated as novel ligand molecules and it acts against different diseases. Complete details of the weeds like habitat, classification, common name, medicinal uses and chemical compounds found in it are explored. These weeds were already used by many tribal, local and villagers as medicine. These indigenous and traditional practices are now acknowledged by people all over the world. Use of weeds for medicinal purposes has proven to be a tremendous tool in expanding the roots of ethnobotany. Weeds compounds can be explored further to identify new possibilities and how It can be used positively for mankind. Plants like Argemone Mexicana, Tridax procumbens, Chrysopogon zizanioides,  Parthenium hysterophorus, Cynodon dactylon, Amaranthus spinosus, Mimosa pudica and Oxalis corniculata easily found in our lawns, gardens and on road side which are having tremendous medicinal value. Exploring about them we can enriching our knowledge about weeds as medicine.