Report: Plant-based Indian medicinal foods
Researchers at TDU and the "Plants for Health" team at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK conducted a study on plant nomenclature in medicinal and food databases, funded by the British High Commission. The study highlights inconsistencies in plant naming, impacting biodiversity, consumer safety, and the regulation of new plant-based products
What is the latest scientific name of Amla/ Indian Gooseberry?
58%Emblica officinalis Gaertn.
19 votes
36%Phyllanthus emblica L.
12 votes
6%Phyllanthus emblica
2 votes
0%Emblica officinalis
Researchers at TDU (Mr Varun Subrahmanya, Dr Megha) and the "Plants for Health" team (Lead: Dr Bob Allkin) at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK undertook a study to understand how plant nomenclature is represented across medicinal and food databases. Funded by the British High Commission, this study analysed 11 referenced sources such as Medicinal Plant Names resource at Kew, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Indian Food Composition Table 2017, Traded Medicinal Plants of India ( a previous collaboration of Kew-TDU) amongst others.
The study finds that plant nomenclature, used across sources which play a critical role in regulating medicines and foods, is not consistent. This has implications for biodiversity, consumer safety and development as well as regulation of new plant-based products for human and livestock use. With a massive increase in use of natural products in the health and wellness industry, this study seeks to bring to the attention of regulators of the huge gaps in plant nomenclature.
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