STUDY OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANT

OF WEST BENGAL

Name: Md Jawwad Ahmed

Collage: City Collage of Commerce and Business Administration

Collage Roll No:

University Roll No: 201122-21-0068

Registration No: 122-1111-0073-20

Subject: Environmental Studies

Stream: B. Com Honours.

 Acknowledgement

It is not possible to prepare a project report without the assistance and encouragement of other
people. This one is certainly no exception

On the very outset of this report on Study of Some Medicinal Plants of West Bengal, I would
like to extend my sincere and heartfelt obligation toward all the personages who helped me in
this endeavour. Without their guidance, help, cooperation and encouragement, I would not make
headway in this project.

I am extremely thankful and pay my gratitude to my teacher miss Bindia Gupta for her valuable
guidance and support on completion of this project in its presently.

I extend my gratitude to my collage city collage of commerce and business administration for
giving me this opportunity.

I also acknowledge with a deep sense of reverence, my gratitude toward my parents and member
of my family, who always support me morally as well as economically.

At last but not the least gratitude goes to all of my friends who directly or indirectly helped me to
complete this project report.

Any omission in this brief acknowledgement does not mean lack of my gratitude.

Thanking you
Md Jawwad Ahmed
 Supervisor’s certificate

This is to certify that MD JAWWAD AHMED, B.COM PART-II (ACCOUNTS

HONOURS) COLLAGE ROLL NO …………. , UNIVERSITY ROLL NO 201122-21-

0068. SESSION 2020- 2023, in the department of commerce in CITY COLLAGE OF

COMMERCE AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, has successfully completed the project

on the topic “STUDY OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS OF WEST BENGAL” under the

guidance of MISS BINDIA GUPTA.

I appreciate his skill diligence and sense of commitment in preparation of this project. The

project work has been submitted as partial fulfilment of the degree of B. Com Accounts Hons. Of

City Collage of Commerce and Business Administration.

This project has been prepared exclusively for academic purpose, hence it shall not be used for

any kind of non-academic purpose what so ever.

-------------------------------------- -------------------------------------

Signature of project supervisor Signature of external examiner

 STUDENT’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project report entitled “STUDY OF SOME MEDECINAL PLANT

OF WEST BENGAL” submitted by me to City Collage of Commerce and Business

Administration; Md Jawwad Ahmed in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the

degree B.com. Accountancy Hons. is a record of bona fide project work carried out by me

under the guidance of MISS BINDIA GUPTA. I further declare that the work reported in this

project has not been submitted and will not be submitted, either in part or in full, for the award of

any other degree or diploma in this institute or any other institute or university.

Md Jawwad Ahmed Signature of the Candidate

Date: 30/06/2021 MD JAWWAD AHMED

30/06/2021
 CONTENT

Sl No. Topics Page No.

1 Introduction 6

2 Objectives 8

3 Methodology of study 9

4 Observation & Findings 10

5 Study of different characteristics of plant species 11

Major threads to medicinal plant population in West

6 14
Bengal

7 Measures of medicinal plant conservation 15

8 Conclusion & Suggestion 16

9 References 18

Introduction
 Biodiversity.

Biodiversity is the biological variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of

variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Terrestrial biodiversity is usually greater
near the equator, which is the result of the warm climate and high primary productivity.
Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth, and is richer in the tropics. These tropical forest
ecosystems cover less than ten percent of earth's surface, and contain about ninety percent of the
world's species. Marine biodiversity is usually higher along coasts in the Western Pacific,
where sea surface temperature is highest, and in the mid-latitudinal band in all oceans. There
are latitudinal gradients in species diversity. Biodiversity generally tends to cluster
in hotspots, and has been increasing through time, but will be likely to slow in the future as a
primary result of deforestation. Rapid environmental changes typically cause mass
extinctions. More than 99.9 percent of all species that ever lived on Earth, amounting to over five
billion species, are estimated to be extinct. Estimates on the number of Earth's
current species range from 10 million to 14 million, of which about 1.2 million have been
documented and over 86 percent have not yet been described. The total amount of
related DNA base pairs on Earth is estimated at 5.0 x 1037 and weighs 50 billion tonnes. In
comparison, the total mass of the biosphere has been estimated to be as much as four trillion tons
of carbon). In July 2016, scientists reported identifying a set of 355 genes from the Last
Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) of all organisms living on Earth

Plant diversity.

Plant diversity refers to the existence of wide variety of plant species in their natural
environments. There are around 300,000-500,000 species of vascular plants that exist on earth

Vegetation surveys identify the plant species in each plot, how many species are present, and the
fraction of the total plot area each species covered. The latter two are referred to as species
diversity and percent cover respectively.  Samples of biomass are cut from each plot to estimate
biomass growth through the summer. Soil samples are collected from each plot and analyzed for
nutrient concentrations (i.e. N, P, K, Zn, Fe, MN, Cu, Ca, Mg, pH levels, organic matter, and
cation exchange capacity).
Using the supplemental funds from the NFWF, individual plants were identified and marked in
the southwest plots and are monitored for the blooming and growth time, seed development, and
other phrenological characteristics. Plant species chosen for phonological monitoring were
restricted to those catalogued in the U.S. National Phenology Network so that data from this
project could be used by others.

Plant Identification Methods:

The methods of identification include the following:

(a) Expert Determination: The best method of identification is expert determination in

terms of reliability or accuracy. In general, the experts have prepared treatments
(monographs, revisions, synopses) of the group in question, and it is probable that the
more recent floras or manuals include the expert’s concepts of taxa.
Experts are typically found in botanical gardens, herbaria, museums, colleges,
universities, etc. However, although of great reliability, this method presents problems of
requiring the valuable time of experts and creating delays for identification

(b) Recognition: It approaches expert determination in reliability. This is based on

extensive, past experience of the identifier with the plant group in question. In some
groups this is virtually impossible.

(b) Comparison: A third method is by comparison of an unknown with named specimens,

photographs, illustrations or descriptions. Although this is a reliable method, it may be
very time consuming or virtually impossible due to the lack of suitable materials for
comparison. The reliability is, of course, dependent on the accuracy

Objectives
I. To identify the different component of marine ecosystem.
 II. To study the various zones of marine ecosystem.

III. To study the major threads to marine ecosystem.

IV. To find out the measures of combating marine pollution.

Methodology of study
 Why I collected this data?

I started collecting all this data for my project report named study of some medicinal

plants of west Bengal. I tried my best on reading the books and asking knowledgeable

peoples.

 How I collected this data?

My method for collecting data for this project is searching them on internet, asking

people, reading books and also I used a pdf book from this site

(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324908735_Some_common_medicinal_plants_for_

the_welfare_of_the_people_of_West_Bengal_India)

 Where I collected this data?

I write all of them in a rough sheet and some of them in my phone, laptop and copies and

after all these efforts I write it down in a word.

Observation & Findings

Identification of 10 medicinal plants of West Bengal
 Sl. No. Common Name Botanical Name

1. Brahmi Bacopa monnieri

2. Ayapana Ayapana triplinervis

3. Satamuli Asparagus racemosus

4. Bhuinkumro Ipomoea mauritiana

5. Bhringaraj Eclipta alba

6. Ashwagandha Withania somnifera

7. Olatkambal Abroma augusta

8. Tulsi Ocimum tenuiflorum

9. Pipul Ficus religiosa

10. Bhumi Amla Phyllanthus niruri

Study of different characteristics of plant species

1) Brahmi
a) Brahmi is a small succulent herb with numerous branches
b) rooting at the nodes
 c) found at elevations from sea level to altitudes of 4400 feet.
d) It grows naturally in wet soil, shallow water and marshes.
e) It has small flowers that are light purple or white in color with not more than four or five
petals
2) Ayapan
a) It is a tropical American shrub that is commonly known as water hemp.
b) This plant has long slender leaves which are often used to make a stimulating medicine.
c) It contains Herniarin, a methoxy analog of umbelliferone
d) its essential oil contains thymohydroquinone dimethyl ether.
e) The flowers are pale pink and the thin, hairless stem is reddish in color.
3) Satamuli
a) Shatavar is a scandent, much-branched, spinous under-shrub with tuberous roots.
b) The roots are fascicled, fleshy, spindle-shaped, light ash-colored externally and white
internally
c) Flowers are white, fragrant, and minute and occur in solitary or fascicled
d) Fruit is a three-lobed, red colored berry
e) Branches are modified into cladodes with long basal Recurved spines.
4) Bhuinkumro

a) It is an erect, annual herb and 30-90 cm tall with upper part of stem quadrangular while
the lower part nearly rounded stem.
b) Leaves are opposite sessile or subsessile, linear-lanceolateor lanceolate, 3-8 cm long,
acute, glabrous or minutely puberulous beneath and base cuneate, margin slightly
undulate.
c) Flowers are pedicelled, biliped, white-purple or spotted purple and solitary. Pedicel is
2.5–10 mm in size, slender and glandular pubescent. Bracts are acicular and 2.5 mm long.
d) Calyx lobes are subacute, 2.5-3.7 mm long and glandular. Corolla is 7.5-12.5 mm in size,
tube about half as long as the corolla. Filaments are hairy and anthers are purple beared at
base.
e) Fruit is a capsule, oblong, 18-20X4.5–5.0 mm, young ones sparsely glandular and hairy;
when mature it is glabrous. Seeds are subquadrate, yellow to brownish in colour and
rugose
5) Bhringaraj
 
a) Bhringaraj is a creeping herb that grows to a height of 3 meters.
b) It has a long stalk and white coloured flowers which are solitary, winged and about 6 to 8
mm in diameter
c) The leaves are sessile, lance-shaped and arranged in the opposite orientation.
d) It has distinct cylindrical and grey coloured roots
6) Ashwagandha
a) It is a dense, hairy, erect, grayish-tomentose herb or under-shrub, grows up to a height of
1.5 meter.
b) It’s all parts are covered with whitish, stellate trichrome.
c) Branching is extensive; leaves are simple, alternate or sub-opposite, ovate, entire, basis
cunate, 10 cm long.
d) The roots are stout, long tuberous, fleshy, whitish-brown.
e) The flowers are greenish-yellow and found in few flowered clusters in axils; pedicels up
to 4 mm long.
7) Olatkambal
a) A tall shrub, branches downy, bark mucilaginous.
b) Leaves are simple cordate, remand- denticulate, broader near the base than the upper
parts, while the upper narrower leaves are entire, glabrascent above and tomatoes below,
petiolate; stipules linear, as long as the petiole.
c) Flowers axillary, pedunculated, purplish brown, pendulous, sepals lanceolate, free nearly
to the base; petals scarcely exceeding the sepals, imbricate in the bud, deciduous.
d) Fruits capsule, 5-angled, 5-winged, stand erect on the branches, calyx persistent.
e) Seeds numerous, albuminous.
8) Tulsi
a) Tulsi is an upright bushy shrub that grows up to 18 inches.
b) Its hairy stems sprout oval leaves with serrated edges, and depending on the variety,
range in colour from light green to dark purple.
c) The tulsi plant blooms erect purple or reddish flowers
d) produces tiny rust-coloured fruit.
9) Pipul
a) Ficus religiosa is a large dry season-deciduous or semi-evergreen tree up to 30 metres tall
and with a trunk diameter of up to 3 metres.
b) The leaves are cordate in shape with a distinctive extended drip tip; they are 10–17
centimetres long and 8–12 centimetres broad, with a 6–10 centimetres petiole.
c) The fruits are small figs 1–1.5 centimetres in diameter, green ripening to purple.
d) pipul has a very long lifespan, ranging on average between 900 and 1,500 years.
10) Bhumi Amla
a) Bhumi amla is like Amla in appearance.
b) this herb grows only 50 cm in height.
c) Bhumi Amla is commonly known as chanca piedra, bahupatra, and stonebreaker.
d) Bhumi amla has a bark that is smooth and light green.
e) The fruits of bhumi amla are tiny, soft, look like capsules form, and contain seeds.

Major threads to medicinal plant

population in West Bengal
With increasing use of medicinal plants as raw materials by different pharma companies has
pushed many of these species to the brink of extinction. Stating that the volume will help
scientists, foresters, researchers and Ayurveda practitioners, N. K. Pandey, Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests, West Bengal, said that the publication is part of ongoing measures taken
up by the State Forest Department to conserve medicinal plants.

A large number of plants compiled in the book are from the Amlachati Medicinal Plant Garden,
which boasts of the largest collection of medicinal plants in the country, though it is located in a
small area comprising of a few hectares of land. The publication lists medicinal plants in
alphabetical order as per their scientific names. For instance, it provides details of three species
of asparagus, a climber: Asparagus adscendin’s, Asparagus officinalis and Asparagus
racemosus. All three species are found across south Bengal.

According to the authors of the book, while Asparagus officinalis is used for the treatment of
jaundice and rheumatism, Asparagus racemosus is not only used to treat human ailments but also
that of cattle, and is sold in the markets of south Bengal by locals.

Measures of medicinal plant

conservation
Biosphere reserves, sanctuaries, national parks, sacred groves and protected areas. The ex situ
conservation programmes involve collection, preservation, multiplication and dissemination of
economically important, endemic, rare and threatened species germplasms. Medicinal plant
conservation centres in India as in many other countries, various programmes on medicinal
plants have been adopted in India and different strategies are employed for their conservation.
Activities at the national level are being carried out in a number of organisations, of which
important roles are being played by major institutions funded by the Government of India. The
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) institutes involved in such programmes are
Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), National Botanical Research
Institute (NBRI), Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) and the Regional Research
Laboratories (RRLs) at Jammu, Bhubaneswar, Jorhat, Palampur, Bhopal and
Thiruvananthapuram. The Indian Council of Agricultural Re-search (ICAR) implements an All
India Coordinated Research Project on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in association with the
National Bureau ofPlant Genetic Research (NBPGR), National Research Center for Medicinal
and Aromatic Plants (NRCMAP) and Indian Institute of Horticultural Re-search (IIHR).

The activities of Botanical Survey of India (BSI), supported by the Department of Environment
and Forests, Government of India, include establishment of regional circles and experimental
gardens at different geo-graphic regions of India, viz., Dehradun (Northern Circle), Allahabad
(Central Circle), Shillong (Eastern Circle), Pune (Western Circle), Coimbatore (South-ern
Circle) and Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar). Three other stations are at Jodhpur, Gangtok and
Itanagar. It is known from a very recent report that 10 experimental botanical gardens are making
efforts to rehabilitate medicinal plants that are under serious threat. The Indian Council of Forest
Research (ICFRE) has undertaken a programme for developing ‘Vanaspati Van’ and cultivation
of medicinal plants. G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, an
institute of the Ministry of Environment and Forest.

Conclusion & Suggestion

Medicinal plants are very important and necessary thing for any living thing human being as they
help in curing many types of infection and cure many types of diseases and it is very important to
grow them constantly and safe them from extinction as in this project we study about that or
medicinal plants are in threat and may be extinct so we need to take care of it as it help us in
many ways Public environmental awareness is a primary concern of the future of humanity.
Public awareness encouragement is essential for ensuring effective environment improvement
and Protection. Protecting our environment is the most important section of implementing a
sustainable development strategy. The Central Government has established two National
Institutes to impart education in Ayurveda namely (i) National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur for
Under-graduate and Post-graduate education and (ii) Institute of Post-Graduate Training and
Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar for Post-graduate education.  In addition, the Government has
established two new Ayurveda institutes during the academic session 2016-17 namely (i) All
India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi for Post-graduate education and (ii) North Eastern
Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy, Shillong for Under-graduate education in Ayurveda. The
Government has setup 05 Central Councils for Research in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Yoga &
Naturopathy and Homoeopathy for undertaking, coordinating, formulating, developing and
promoting research on scientific lines. The activities are carried out through 82 peripheral
institute/Centres/Units located all over India and also through collaborative studies with various
universities, hospitals and institutes. The research activities of the councils include medicinal
plant research (Medico-ethno botanical survey, pharmacognosy and tissue culture), Drug
Standardization Pharmacological Research, Clinical Research, Literary Research &
Documentation, and other outreach activities. Further, Ministry of AYUSH runs Extra Mural
Research (EMR) scheme to conduct the research on various aspects of AYUSH systems.

Key recommended actions focus on: 1. Immediate development of awareness of the project’s
activities within potential partners and target groups, with a subsequent focus on broader
conservation issues of interest and relevance to the regional community in Mongolia as well as in
Russia, on mobilization of broad public support for locally implemented activities in natural
resource conservation, and on integration of successful public-private partnership activities into
communication and public awareness programming. 2. Identification of appropriate partners for
further development and implementation of the Project’s communication and public awareness
strategy. 3. Regularly update a website providing information on the project’s activities, and the
opportunity for partner and public input. 4. Development of a network of organizations engaged
in biodiversity conservation and related activities in Mongolian and Russia, with the objective of
developing and sharing information on transboundary biodiversity, and education and
communication materials for development of public awareness. 5. Development of
communication and public awareness activities based on as wide a range of methods and
techniques as possible, including a broadly-based school program and other activities focusing
on children.

The Government of India has approved and notified Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National
AYUSH Mission (NAM) on 29th September 2014 which envisages better access to AYUSH
services; strengthening of AYUSH educational institutions, facilitate the enforcement of quality
control of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) drugs and sustainable
availability of ASU&H raw materials by promotion of medicinal plants in the States/UTs during
12th Plan. Under NAM, the Government of India provides financial assistance to the States/UTs
to develop and promote AYUSH systems of medicine including Ayurveda in the country through
different activities. Under the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Scheme, the
Ministry of AYUSH takes up initiatives for propagation and promotion of AYUSH systems of
medicine by organizing Arogya fairs/Melas, Conferences, Exhibitions, Seminars, Workshops,
Symposium and also undertaking publicity through electronic multimedia, print media
campaigning for awareness amongst the citizens all over the country.

Finally, I would recommend our youth to take place in medicinal plant conservation help the
government to safe the nature by just doing a field walks in the forest and seeing all the species
saving them planting them and relocate them in the safe location some of our youth can help by
just opening their plant nursery cause plant nursery are the safest of all in matter of plantation in
this way our youth needs to come out and help govt. because youth are the future of India

References
WBMPSB Health Department, (2021), west Bengal, state medicinal board plant
https://www.wbhealth.gov.in/WBSMPB/district_wise_suitability_for_cultivation.php accessed on 20th
June 2021 at 5pm

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/papers/Medicinal_Plants_042008_lores.pdf
accessed on 20th June at 9pm

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259027985_Conservation_and_documentation_of_the_med
icinal_plant_resources_of_India accessed on 21st June at 11 am

https://iwlearn.net/resolveuid/d168413dc2b1cd6156e82f8c72b5d09b#:~:text=Widespread
%20awareness%20that%20the%20general,required%20to%20make%20them%20successful. Accessed
on 29th June at 10pm