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Since time immemorial, plants have been a rich source for therapeutics. Ayurveda is a living tradition of a health science of India, used for millennia. Ayurveda has a vast medicinal treasure-trove of herbs to choose remedies from. The book 'Indian Medicinal Plants:
Forgotten Healers' written by Dr. Prakash Paranjpe is a comprehensive treatise on the subject. There was an acute need of a conscious effort to bridge the gap between Ayurvedic philosophy and Allopathic postulates and parameters and develop an integrated, holistic approach to therapeutics.This book fulfills the same.
For the first time, here is a detailed explanation of 135 herbs in complete Ayurvedic perspective, aided with their botanical description, phytochemistry, formulations and clinical usage, both topical as well as internal. The author has done a commendable job to compile the useful information of each plant, in
addition, with excellent coloured photograph, which facilitates its identification.
The plants selected in the present book are fairly widely used in India for centuries. There is a worldwide revival of interest in natural products as preventive and therapeutic agents. The present book will help in generating a global interest in Ayurveda and medicinal plants in India. This compilation of most commonly used medicinal plants will be of use to Ayurvedic practitioners, students and researchers as well as to medical and scientific communities like pharmacy, botany, biochemistry, microbiology etc. and also to the common man.
Besides the information on individual herbs, the beginning chapters on principles of Ayurvedic Medicine, Ayurvedic Materia Medica and Ayurvedic Pharmacy, make the book more complete. With beautiful photographs of plants, charts, indices, detailed glossaries and bibliography are also included. "Forgotten Healers" is truly an unique addition to the literature of Ayurveda, especially, of Indian Medicinal Plants.
About the Author:
Dr. Prakash Paranjpe, graduated in Ayurveda B.A. M&S from University of Pune, in 1974 and then secured M.B.B.S. degree from Nagpur University in 1981. Subsequently he did his Ph.D. from Open International University of Complimentary Medicine, Colombo in 1990. He is a practising Ayurvedic Consultant for more than two decades, specialising in the treatment of acne and obesity. He is actively engaged in clinical research on various Ayurvedic drugs and herbs to combat, especially chronic diseases.
He has to his credit many research articles which have been published in various Indian and Foreign scientific journals. He has visited Italy and Germany couple of times to deliver lectures on Ayurveda and medicinal herbs. He has also pursued the full course in Italian language of Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, at Deccan College, Pune. He has traveled across the length and breadth of India to photograph various medicinal plants, in different seasons. Dr. Paranjpe is founder member and director of Ayurveda Research Foundation, Pune, India. He is also director of S.K.A. Ayurveda, Milan, Italy. He is visiting professor of School of Health Sciences, University of Pune and member of the advisory board of “Holistic Healing” published by Indian Express Newspapers, Mumbai.
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