Important Medicinal Plants Of Bangladesh-1 (Paperback)

Bangladesh, though a small country with only c. 1,50,000 sq. km. in area, due to its subtropical to tropical climate with moderately high annual rainfall and fertile soil, supports about 7000 kinds of plants (species, varieties, forma etc.) of different groups.
This number includes 3611 species of Flowering plants, 7 species of Gymnosperms, 195 of Pteridophytes, 250 of Bryophytes, more than 2300 of Algae (including blue green), 446 of Bacteria and Fungi (Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, vols. 2-12: 2006-2009). Since the publication of Encyclopedia the 'Plant Taxonomists' of Bangladesh identified and published a few new species and many new records for Bangladesh, so the present number of plant record is much higher than 7000.
Medicinal plants are a great wealth of a country, but all plants are not medicinal. According to WHO consultative group on medicinal plant "A medicinal plant is any plant which in one or more of its organs, contains chemical substances that can be used for therapeutic purposes or which is a precursor for synthesis of useful drug". In simple words, 'Medicinal plants are plants (wild or cultivated) which are used for medicinal purposes'. Considering different literature search and recent ethnomedico-botanical studies on different ethnic groups living in Bangladesh, the estimated present number of medicinal plants is raised to more than 1000.