The traditional knowledge base in respect of use of medicinal plants for therapeutic use in India is widely acknowledged the world over. Charak Samhita and Sushrut Samhita embody this rich legacy. Use of plant extracts for treatment of various ailments dates back to the Vedic period. In addition to the detailed documentation of ailments and uses of plants in various Samhitas and Nighantus, curative properties of medicinal plants and their doses have been passed from one generation to the other, orally as well. Analysis of published information on medicinal plant use indicates that around 8000 species are used in different systems of medicines in India.

It is estimated that around 3500 plant species occur in Maharashtra, out of which around 2000 have known medicinal properties. Forests are repositories of valuable gene pool. It is estimated that around 95% of the medicinal plants species occur in the wild.

In the area of conservation of natural resources, preservation of medicinal plants in the wild and their cultivation outside their natural habitat has assumed significance, especially, during the last decade of the last millennium, because of their alarming depletion due to various reasons which are inimical to the natural regeneration of these species. On the other hand, sustained availability of medicinal plants and knowledge of their use can ensure a large degree of self-reliance in Primary Health Care (PHC) because in the State of Maharashtra, as in rest of India, hundreds of thousands of rural house-holds use medicinal plants in self help mode and hence their perpetual availability is essential to sustain one of the world’s oldest medical traditions.