A Review of Cultivation Practices and Therapeutic Applications of Ethnomedicinal Plants in India

Abstract

India’s ethnomedicinal heritage is sustained by an exceptional diversity of medicinal plant species used in household healthcare, community-based traditional healing, and codified systems such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. In parallel with rising domestic and global demand for botanical therapeutics, cultivation has become a central strategy to reduce pressure on wild populations while improving supply reliability, quality, and traceability. However, the therapeutic promise of ethnomedicinal plants is inseparable from agronomy and post-harvest management, because genotype, environment, cultivation inputs, harvest timing, and processing collectively shape phytochemical composition, safety, and clinical performance. This review synthesises recent evidence on cultivation and value-chain practices relevant to Indian ethnomedicinal plants and critically examines therapeutic applications with emphasis on translational and clinical evidence. The review highlights cultivation determinants of quality (planting material, agroecological matching, soil–water management, pest and disease control, harvest indices, drying and storage), analytical quality assurance (marker-based methods, chromatographic fingerprints, and DNA-based authentication), and safety risks (heavy metals, adulteration, and herb-induced liver injury). Therapeutic applications are discussed through representative examples spanning stress and mental health, inflammation and musculoskeletal disorders, metabolic health, immunomodulation, and hepatoprotection, illustrating how the strength of evidence varies by indication and preparation standardisation. The review concludes by proposing integrative directions for India’s ethnomedicinal plant sector, including climate-resilient cultivation, community-centric benefit sharing, pharmacopeial alignment, and stronger pharmacovigilance to ensure safe, reproducible, and ethically grounded botanical therapeutics.