The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Family and Health Welfare. The council’s research priorities coincide with the national health priorities and its charter of activities is aimed at reducing the total disease burden and at promoting health and well-being of our people.

Accomplishments

I. Reviews on Indian medicinal plants

The past several decades have seen the accumulation of enormous scientific research/information on multidisciplinary aspects of medicinal plant research owing to the global resurgence of interest in herbal medicine. This enormous literature lies widely scattered not only in ancient manuscripts, but also in the form of recent results of the work of various laboratories/institutions in various scientific journals. The focus of the medicinal plant unit of ICMR is to consolidate this multidisciplinary published research work in the form of review monographs. As part of this programme, nine volumes (10th in print) have been brought out in a series of publications, entitled Reviews on Indian Medicinal Plants on about 2,206 medicinal plant species. The publication includes 40,814 citations. Each monograph includes

• Regional names of each medicinal plant
• Sanskrit synonyms as well as the Ayurvedic description
• Habitat and parts used
• Ethnobotanical, botanical, pharmacognostical, chemical, pharmacological and clinical data
• Complete references and bibliography on each aspect of the information cited
• Colour photographs of important medicinal plants.

II. Quality standards of Indian medicinal plants

To ensure laying down quality parameters of crude drugs, the ICMR has initiated a programme which has resulted in the compilation of eight volumes (ninth in print) on Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants. It contains data on 274 medicinal plants commonly used in India. These volumes cover

• Authentic botanical names, synonyms, parts used
• Detailed macroscopic and microscopic description of the part used as drug
• Diagnostic characters and colour photographs
• Limits of foreign matter
• Total ash, acid-insoluble ash, water and ethanol soluble extractive values
• Chromatographic finger print profile
• Pharmacological, clinical and toxicity study results.

III. Phytochemical reference standards of selected Indian medicinal plants

Monographs on the spectral and analytical data on 30 marker compounds generated by Agharkar Research Institute, Pune through a project sanctioned to it by the ICMR is being brought out by the council similar to its earlier publications.

IV. Medicinal plants monographs on diseases of public health importance

Monographs on select diseases of public health importance in line with national health priorities shall incorporate a unique collection of data namely

• Disease etiopathogenesis and other medical information
• Drugs of choice in allopathic system of medicine
• Plant drugs indicated in ancient traditional medical texts
• Up-to-date research data on these plants and its constituents
• Scientific basis of use of ISM drugs
• Strengthen claims in respect of IPR/patents for global acceptability.

The first volume in this series has been brought out on the ‘Prospective of Indian medicinal plants in the management of liver disorders’. Other thrust areas for which similar review monographs are initiated are immunomodulators, Kala-azar, malaria, filariasis, diabetes mellitus, liver disorders and anti-inflammatory drugs.