ICMR Launches Books on Indian Medicinal Plants for Drug Use

• ICMR completes full A–Z documentation of 6,715 Indian medicinal plants.
• Volumes 30 and 31 cover 351 plant species with over 4,700 references.
• Cumulative indices enable multi-criteria search across 31 volumes.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) published the Volumes 30 & 31, showcasing Indian medicinal plants, completing an exhaustive review of plant species A-Z through their 31 volumes. The published volumes will be useful to researchers, industry, drug developers, and regulatory agencies.

Volume 30 comprises information on medicinal plants starting with U and V, with coverage on 48 genera and 215 plant species, with a total of 1,922 main references. Volume 31, features plants starting with W to Z, with 44 genera and 136 species, with a total of 2,798 references. Both volumes are edited by Neeraj Tandon, along with assistant editors Satyapal Singh Yadav, Parul Sharma, Sarika Srivastava, and Charu Mahavar. They were reviewed by Dr. D. B. Anantha Narayana, Chief Scientific Officer, Ayurvidye Trust.

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It is a monumental achievement which requires years of hard work. Dr. Narayana conveyed that this was a great public service and has international significance in light of a global shift towards interest in botanicals, wellness products, and phytopharmaceuticals. The series includes user-friendly cumulative indices, allowing searches by botanical and regional names, plant families, pharmacological activities, and genera across all volumes—making it an indispensable tool for researchers and practitioners alike.