significance are invented by villagers to satisfy the curiosity of enquiring botanists. These names are of no use. Such being the case, a knowledge of botany to critically examine a plant is absolutely necessary.
Besides botanical description and vernacular nomenclature, illustrations of plants prove a great help in identifying them. Though illustrations of several thousands of Indian plants are scattered in the works of Rheede, Roxburgh, Royle, Wight, Wallich, Beddome, Brandis, and Griffith and in the journals of the Linnan and other learned societies, yet a very large number of medicinal plants of this country remains to be illustrated.[1] The sooner illustrations of these plants are made the better for the cause of the study of indigenous drugs.
After proper means have been taken to identify the medicinal plants, so that we are quite sure that we all mean the same thing by the same name, we should turn our attention to the study of their properties and uses. We may commence such study with advantage, and it will be, moreover, of historical importance, if we first of all take into consideration the uses to which these plants were put in ancient 'times by the Hindus. With this view, we should consult the medical works of the Hindus, e.g., Charaka, Sushruta, Nighantu, &c.
Nor should we despise the experience and observation of the Greco-Arabic School of practitioners regarding the uses of the indigenous drugs. Thus the Taleef Sheriff (which has been translated into English), is an excellent work on therapeutics, and gives within a narrow compass the uses of some of the most important medicinal plants of this country.
We should also take into consideration those drugs which are in much use amongst rustics and villagers, and of which no account is to be met with in the works of either the Hindu or Greco-Arabic school of practitioners. It is a pity that no attempt has yet been made to collect information from the villagers regarding the medicinal virtues of plants that grow around
- ↑ Most of the above mentioned works, however, are out of print, and being rare, are hardly within the reach of the most of the members of medical profession.
