Plants have been a major resource for health care since more than 2,000 years. One fourth of modern medicines owe their origins of raw material to plants. Many foods consumed in Asia have been traditionally used to cure specific human ailments.However, in the few countries these links to traditional uses remain largely unexplored. Chronic diseases are a major health problem accounting for a high proportion of deaths, disability and illness. These include coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia, diabetes, asthma and osteoarthritis.Yet many of these diseases are preventable or their onset can be delayed by relatively simple measures. About 30 medicinal plants and treatment of major diseases are described briefly using ancient ayurvedic concepts.The descriptions are based on authors experience of ayurveda, clinical studies and observation of over four decades in the heart of medicinal plants. The focus has been on plant products with the potential to bring preventive,...
