Moringa oleifera, native to India, grows in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is commonly known as ‘drumstick tree’ or ‘horseradish tree’. Moringa can withstand both severe drought and mild frost conditions and hence widely cultivated across the world. With its high nutritive values, every part of the tree is suitable for either nutritional or commercial purposes. The leaves are rich in minerals, vitamins and other essential phytochemicals. Extracts from the leaves are used to treat malnutrition, augment breast milk in lactating mothers.

There are certain crop plants that are not cropped but edible, containing high nutrients and medicinal value. These crops also called as hidden harvests are capable of providing essential nutrients to our diets besides contributing to household income.

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The spread of pests and pathogens that damage plant life could cost global agriculture $540 billion a year, according to this report released by the Royal Botanic Gardens in London. An increase in international trade and travel had left flora facing rising threats from invasive pests and pathogens, and called for greater biosecurity measures.

Scientists working at Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala’s Centre for Medicinal Plants Research (CMPR) have discovered two new species of medicinal plants from the Western Ghats.

Wogonin and baicalein are bioactive flavones in the popular Chinese herbal remedy Huang-Qin (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi). These specialized flavones lack a 4′-hydroxyl group on the B ring (4′-deoxyflavones) and induce apoptosis in a wide spectrum of human tumor cells in vitro and inhibit tumor growth in vivo in different mouse tumor models. Root-specific flavones (RSFs) from Scutellaria have a variety of reported additional beneficial effects including antioxidant and antiviral properties.

The inventory will be supported by satellite images and GIS

Pune: A type of lichen named Usnea ghattensis, found in the northern areas of the Western Ghats particularly in the vicinity of Mahabaleshwar, could well be the source of the next wonder drug.

DEHRADUN: Forest Survey of India in its next report of 2017 is going to provide additional but very useful information on status of forest burnt in a state.

The authors assessed the use of herbal medicine by Middle Eastern patients with cancer, as reported by their oncology health care professionals (HCPs). Herbal products identified by the study HCPs were evaluated for potential negative effects.

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ALAPPUZHA: Deforestation and destruction of vegetation have been causing immense harm to the ecology.

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