Indian Medicinal Plants, based on a treatise prepared by S. Raghunatha Iyer, a scholar of both Sanskrit and Ayurveda, aims to make an authoritative contribution to the field. The original work which drew upon classical texts and current research, as well as the oral medical knowledge of tribal groups has been updated by scholars associated with the Arya Vaidya Sala in Kottakal, India. This unique compendium offers profiles of 500 key species with detailed taxonomic information. One of the leading features of this compilation is the special technique used in the illustrations, both colour and line, which aims to achieve authenticity of texture, colour and form. The book also lists the distribution and popular nomenclature in English, Sanskrit, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil. The main texts present properties and uses in a format which cites ancient verse texts and ethnobotanical sources. This rare work, in five volumes, should be of special interest to practitioners of alternative medicine, students of Ayurveda, the research and industry associated with medical botany, pharmacologists, sociologists and medical herbalists.

Arya Vaidya Sala

P K Warrier, Managing Trustee of the Arya Vaidyasala, Kottakkal, Kerala.

V.P.K.Nambiar, former systematic botanist at the Kerala Forest Research Institute and a specialist in the flora of the Western Ghats.

C.Ramankutty, a learned physician of the Arya Vaidyasala, Kottakkal, Kerala.

1. Abelmoschur esculentus
2. Abelmoschus moschatus
3. Abies spectabilis
4. Abrus precatorius
5. Acacia caesia
6. Acacia catechu
7. Acacia leucophloea
8. Acacia nilotica
9. Acacia polyantha
10. Acacia sinuate
11. Acalypha indica
12. Achyranthes aspera
13. Aconitum heterophyllum
14. Aconitum napellus
15. Acorus calamus
16. Actiniopteris dichotoma
17. Adenanthera pavonina
18. Aegle marmelos
19. Aerva lanata
20. Agaricus campestris
21. Ageratum conyzoides
22. Alangium salvifolium
23. Albizia lebbeck
24. Albizia odoratissima
25. Allium cepa
26. Allium sativum
27. Allophylus serratus
28. Aloe barbadensis
29. Alpina galangal
30. Alstonia scholaris
31. Alstonia venenata
32. Alternanthera sessilis
33. Amaranthus spinosus
34. Ammania baccifera ssp.baccifera
35. Amomum subulatum
36. Amorphophallus paeoniifolius ar.companulatus
37. Anacardium occidentale
38. Anacyclus pyrethrum
39. Anamirta cocculus
40. Ananas comosus
41. Andrographis paniculata
42. Anethum graveolens
43. Anisomeles malabarica
44. Annona squamosa
45. Anogeissus latifolia
46. Aphanamixis polystachya
47. Aquilaria agollocha
48. Arachis hypogaea
49. Arecca catechu
50. Argemone mexicana
51. Argyreia nervosa
52. Aristolochia bracteolate
53. Aristolochia indica
54. Artemisia nilagirica
55. Artocarpus communis
56. Artocarpus heterophyllus
57. Artocarpus hirsutus
58. Asparagus racemosus
59. Averrhoa carambola
60. Azadirachta indica
61. Bacopa monnieri
62. Baliospermum montanum
63. Bambusa arundinacea
64. Barringtonia acutangula
65. Basella alba var.rubra
66. Bauhinia variegate
67. Benincasa hispida
68. Beta vulgaris
69. Betula utilis
70. Biophytum sensitivum
71. Bixa orellana
72. Blumea lacera
73. Boerhaavia diffusa
74. Bombax ceiba
75. Borassus flabellifer
76. Boswellia serrata
77. Brassica juncea
78. Brassica oleracea var.capitata
79. Buchanania lanzan
80. Butea monosperma
81. Caesalpinia bonduc
82. Caesalpinia sappan
83. Cajanus cajan
84. Calamus rotang
85. Callicarpa macrophylla
86. Calophyllum inophyllum
87. Calotropis gigantean
88. Calycopteris floribunda
89. Camellia sinensis
90. Canavalia gladiata
91. Cannabis sativa
92. Canscora decussate
93. Canthium parviflorum
94. Capparis deciduas
95. Capsicum annuum
96. Cardiospermum halicacabum
97. Careya arborea
98. Carica papaya
99. Carissa carandas
100. Carthamus tinctorus

Appendix A
Appendix B
Index to Sanskrit Terms