Asparagus racemosus Willd. is exploited heavily from wild conditions
Medicinal plants constitute a vast, undocumented and overexploited economic resource and they are the principle health care resource for the majority of the tribes. Among these Asparagus racemosus Willd is a critically endangered medicinal creeper plant belonging to family Asparagaceae. The genus Asparagus has over 300 species, which are widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions. Asparagus racemosus Willd is found in India throughout tropical and sub-tropical parts including the Andaman, ascending in the Himalayas up to an altitude of 1,500 meter, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
In Traditional Indian medicine it is well known as an antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, demulcent, diuretic, galactogogue and refrigerant. The tribal tracts are the storehouse of information and knowledge on the multiple uses of plants. Almost all parts of this plant are used by tribes for various diseases such as diarrhea, rheumatism, diabetes, miscarriage, dyspepsia, cancer, inflammations, bronchitis, colic haemorrhoids, leucorrhoea, hypertention and brain complaints.
Inadequate supply of plant nutrients in light texture soils of Rajasthan leads to low productivity. Therefore these studies have undertaken to find out the right combination of plant growth regulators and macronutrients with time duration to combat the problem of low yield.
Asparagus racemosus Willd. is exploited heavily from wild
conditions by ayurvedic practitioners and local tribes throughout India for medicinal purposes. Asparagus racemosus Willd is mainly cultivated for its tuberous roots from which steroidal saponins are isolated and can be used as medicinal purpose. In vitro induction of stress response is in progress to increase secondary metabolites in this plant using various abiotic and biotic elicitors. This would help in conservation of this species and provide pharmaceutical component in less time and cheap cost.
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