TDU is a recognised Centre of Excellence in Medicinal Plants and Traditional Knowledge. The ethno-medicinal garden is a ‘Knowledge Park’ that provides a visual introduction to more than 1500 species of medicinal plants from various biogeographical regions of India. This is perhaps the largest live collection of medicinal botanicals in one location.

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The TDU Campus has a unique garden that has been aesthetically landscaped, exclusively with native medicinal plants.

One can find over 46 theme based demonstration plots in the garden. These plants belong to all habits, and includes herbs, shrubs, climbers, and trees. Many rare red-listed species can also be observed and studied here.

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Attractive signages accompany these plants to inform the visitors about the ethnobotany of the plant.

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Our visitors include students, doctors, folk healers, traders, home makers and researchers. One can enjoy the beautifully landscaped garden and learn how to grow plants, their uses as well as simple procedures for preparation of herbal remedies for primary health care. The current holdings of the garden cover over 175 threatened/endemic taxa and 500 taxa in the nursery.

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The TDU Garden is designed using the natural contours of the site, and intersperses buildings and other permanent structures of the Institute. Since its inception, the garden has established many themes and several standalone plants that enhance active interest in the minds of visitors. The various thematic gardens are broadly grouped under two main categories, namely, plants used in everyday life and plants of conservation concern. This garden has the advantage of research backup from some of the best taxonomists who are experts in the flora of Western and Eastern Ghats, North-West and North-East of India and reputed physicians of the various traditional systems of medicines. This garden has interesting features like water bodies, pergolas, rockery, climber tunnels, winding paths, hedges, and lush green lawns made of medicinal grass. It is a marvellous example of a garden created only using medicinal plants. The garden also has an information centre on distribution of medicinal plants in India. It is also linked to a world class herbarium on medicinal plants.

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A special effort has been made to collect and grow plants from different biogeographical regions of India. Thus, there is visible evidence of having different intraspecific morphological variations of some species. The garden also has one of the largest collection of plants mentioned in the Hortus Malabaricus.

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