Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary

DETAILS : 

• Author: C.P. Khare
  
• Publisher: ‎ Springer
  
• Publication date: ‎ 1 January 2007
  
• Language: ‎ English
  
• Print length: ‎ 900 pages
  
• ISBN-10: ‎ 8181286588
  
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-8181286581
  
• Item Weight: ‎ 1500 g

ABOUT THE BOOK

Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary, compiled and authored by the esteemed herbalist and pharmacognosy researcher C.P. Khare, is a monumental reference work and an absolute cornerstone in ethnobotanical literature. Published globally by Springer Science & Business Media, this massive, single-volume encyclopedia fills a critical gap in the standardization of traditional South Asian medicine. The core philosophy of this text centers on building a scientifically validated bridge between traditional ancient systems of healing and contemporary, evidence-based pharmacology. Khare bypasses purely anecdotal folk remedies to systematically map the botanical equivalents of thousands of traditional herbs used across Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Tibetan systems of medicine, presenting them under rigorous clinical and taxonomic frameworks.

The dictionary is structurally arranged in an extremely user-friendly, alphabetical (A–Z) layout covering more than 2,000 distinct medicinal plant species. Each comprehensive monograph encapsulates the botanical nomenclature, traditional and international synonyms, habitat parameters, and targeted plant parts used in therapy. What sets this text apart is its deep harmonization of data: Khare blends core monographs from The Wealth of India series and The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India with the rigorous scientific findings of international regulatory bodies. Furthermore, a prominent feature of the volume is its integration of clean visual references and plant illustrations to help field researchers, pharmacists, and manufacturers accurately distinguish species and prevent commercial adulteration.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C.P. Khare is an elite Indian herbalist, independent researcher, and prolific medical lexicographer who has dedicated over four decades to the study of traditional therapeutics and economic botany. Recognized as a formidable authority on herbal cross-referencing, his expansive literary portfolio includes widely cited reference benchmarks such as the Encyclopedia of Indian Medicinal Plants and Indian Herbal Remedies.

Khare’s authorial and analytical style is characterized by flawless taxonomic precision, definitive structural clarity, and an objective, peer-to-peer scientific narrative. Writing with the focus of a veteran researcher who values safety and standardization over abstract mysticism, he highlights explicit therapeutic actions, bio-active constituents, indications, and vital contraindications. By transforming thousands of scattered classical references into a streamlined, globally accepted linguistic framework, his collective literature remains an irreplaceable international benchmark for pharmacognosists, busy medical practitioners, biochemists, and research institutions worldwide.