The Lost Glory of Folk medicine

Indian medical systems, among them the ancient science of Ayurveda, have always been aware of the medicinal value of plants. To cite but one example, for at least 2500 years before the West recognized the medicinal properties of the Rauwolfia serpentina (sarpagandha) root, used by folk healers to calm violently disturbed patients. In the 1940’s Indian scientists isolated the active substances from rauwolfia and discovered its added benefit as a remedy for high blood pressure.The Madagascar periwinkle with its pink/white flowers is a hardy perennial that grows without fuss in countless Indian gardens. So persistent is the flowering that the shrub has come to be known as sadabahar, meaning `ever bloom’. In the 1950’s, the periwinkle yielded some alkaloids, particularly useful in the treatment of leukaemia. Great piles of crushed periwinkle leaves are now exported from India to the U.S. to be ground and processed into anti cancer drugs. It takes 12 tons of leaves to extract one ounce of the active ingredient, hence the bulk. Traditionally, the folk healers used this drug fir the treatment of diabetes mellitus.