Krishna Prasad Sigdel 

Humans have used medicines since the ancient times. Hence worldwide the number of such plants is very large. Therefore, it is difficult to ascertain just how many of earth'sestimated 250,000 species of higher plants are used in traditional medicines but one estimate puts it somewhere between 35,000 and 70,000. The picture on the use of lower plants is unclear. However, about 10 per cent of the plants all over the world are considered to be medicinal. The use of herbal medicine can be traced back to as much as 4000 BC to 1000 BC when the world had Rig Beda, the oldest treaties so far known in this subject. Herbal medicines were used by Vaidyas, Hakims, and in Siddha ways of treating patients, which were based mostly on Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha systems.
Nepal is a beautiful country with myriad geogrophical terrain, climate, and rich biodiverisity. It is estimated that over 2,300 species of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are availabled in Nepal. And various studies have shown that around 819 of them are being used as herbal medicines. As of now, more than 165 species of MAPs are being commercially traded. The demand for herbal products has been growing steadily in the international markets. From time immemorial many medicinal plants are known to Nepal. The history of medicine and medicinal plants in this country can be traced back to Vedic period, where Nepal Himalaya was mentioned as a sacred heaven of potent medicinal and aromatic plants.
Ayurveda remained the chief medical system in the Indian sub-continent in the ancient days, is now recognised as one of the major systems of alternative and complementary medicine-the system chiefly based on the use of medicinal plants in Nepal which is rich in traditional medical system including Ayurveda, Amchi, Unani, Naturopathy and Homeopathy, etc. that rely heavily on the plant products from the Nepal Himalaya. These medicinal traditions, which have evolved over centuries, are increasingly recognised for their complementary and sometimes superior role over western medical systems.
In Nepal, about 85 per cent of the rural population of Nepal are said to use herbal remedies. The data shows that majority is still relying on traditional medicine so the importance of medicinal plants at the subsistence level is considerable but difficult to quantify. Again, use and management of medicinal plants for traditional therapies and sustainable management are orally transmitted and culturally inherited and intertwined, making its conservation and management inevitable. Globally, millions of people rely on medicinal plants not only for primary health care, but also for income generation and livelihood improvement and other conservation and economic values.
The importance of herbal plants has increased progressively over the last two decades. Herbal remedies are increasingly becoming mainstream consumer products manufactured by multinational companies amongst other, and sold in super market chains and in a variety of other outlets, globally. Food supplements, cosmetics, fragrances, traditional cuisine, dyeing and coloring agents are just a few of the application where medicinal, aromatic and dye plants are finding increasing use by the day. The Ayurvedic system spread all over the country including remote areas is largely based on medicinal plants- mostly that of the country, with few being imported especially from India. Disillusioned with the synthetic western medicines, more and more people are now realising that natural is better and are returning to the field of traditional herbal medical system. Herbal medicines are said to be safe and free from side effects. For this reason the demand for Himalayan medicinal plants has been growing rapidly since the recognition of their role in improving local livelihoods and the health of the world's growing population. Ayurveda, and thereby use of herbal medicine, has already found patronage in some of the European and Latin American countries by now, and it seems that it is on its way to become an international system
With the rapid depletion of our forests resources, impairing the availabilities of raw drugs, Ayurveda, like other systems of herbal medicine, has reached a very crucial phase. About 50 percent of the tropical forests, the treasure house of plant and animal diversity, have already been destroyed and the remaining half may not stand the onslaught of man for another decade. In addition, a number of herbal plant species are unsustainably harvested by pre-mature collection of fruits, uprooting the plant species and burning of forest floor to facilitate collection, and so on. Such indiscriminate exploitation of medicinal herbs has also been responsible for the present state of affairs, in a large way. So unless we develop a sound system for conservation of forests and for rational exploitation of medicinal herbs, it is going to be fatal for herbal medicine in future.
The herbs of Nepal are potential natural assets. They could be used for a wide range of medical and cosmetic products and some other uses. They are a good subject for biotechnology. The effects of some of herbal medicine have been well proven for hundreds of years, and, in some cases thousands of years. In recent days, people tend to prefer their own choice of medicine and medical treatment, while avoiding over-dependence on modern medicine and putting more emphasis on traditional herbal medicine, or alternative medicine. Yet, there are so many herbal plants whose contents and effects have not been researched adequately in Nepal. Therefore a joint collaboration is required for research as well sustainable management of the herbal plants on Nepal.

(The author is a freelance environmental journalist Email: kpsigdel@gmail.com)