The genus Curcuma (family Zingiberaceae) comprising over 80 species of rhizomatous herbs, is endowed with widespread adaptation from sea level to altitude as high as 2000 m in the Western Ghats and Himalayas. Having originated in the Indo-Malayan region, the genus is widely distributed in the tropics of Asia to Africa and Australia. Curcuma species exhibit inter- and intra-specific variation for the biologically active principles coupled with morphological variation with respect to the above-ground vegetative and floral characters as well as the below-ground rhizome features besides for curcumin, oleoresin and essential oil. Curcuma is gaining importance world over as a potential source of new drug(s) to combat a variety of ailments as the species contain molecules credited with anti-inflammatory, hypocholestraemic, choleratic, antimicrobial, insect repellent, antirheumatic, antifibrotic, antivenomous, antiviral, antidiabetic, antihepatotoxic as well as anticancerous properties. Turmeric oil is also used in aromatherapy and in the perfume industry. Though the traditional Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine and Chinese medicine long ago recognized the medicinal property of turmeric in its crude form, the last few decades have witnessed extensive research interests in the biological activity and pharmacological actions of Curcuma, especially the cultivated species. Turmeric powder obtained from rhizomes of Curcuma longa or related species is extensively used as a spice, food preservative and colouring material, in religious applications as well as a household remedy for bilary and hepatic disorders, anorexia, diabetic wounds, rheumatism and sinusitis in India, China and South-East Asia and in folk medicine. Cucuminoids, the biologically active principles from Curcuma, promise a potential role in the control of rheumatism, carcinogenesis and oxidative stress-related pathogenesis. Curcuma longa L. syn. Curcuma domestica Val., common turmeric, is the most economically valuable member of the genus having over 150,000 hectares under its cultivation in India. In addition to Curcuma longa, the other economically important species of the genus are C. aromatica, used in medicine and toiletry articles, C. kwangsiensis, C. ochrorhiza, C. pierreana, C. zedoaria, C. caesia etc. used in folk medicines of the South-East Asian nations; C. alismatifolia, C. roscoeana etc. with floricultural importance; Curcuma amada used as medicine, and in a variety of culinary preparations, pickles and salads, and C. zedoaria, C. malabarica, C. pseudomontana, C. montana, C. decipiens, C. angustifolia, C. rubescens, C. haritha, C. caulina etc. all used in arrowroot manufacturing. Crop improvement work has been attempted mainly in C. longa and to a little extent in C. amada. At present there are about 20 improved varieties of C. longa in India and one in C. amada, evolved through germplasm/clonal selection, mutation breeding or open-pollinated progeny (true turmeric seedlings) selection. Though work on morphological characterization of Curcuma species has been attempted, its molecular characterization is in a nascent stage except for some genetic fidelity studies of micropropagated plants and isozyme-based characterization. The genus has also been examined from the biochemical profiling and anatomical characterization angle. This article is intended to provide an overview of biological diversity in the genus Curcuma from a utilitarian and bio-prospection viewpoint.

Plantago ovata is the cultivated and economically important species in the monotypic genus Plantago. P. ovata is a short-stemmed annual herb, 10–45 cm tall. The species is generally an in-breeder. The seed husk of this plant is commonly called Psyllium or Isabgol (in Hindi), which is a very effective laxative. Other usages of Isabgol are in ice cream making, cosmetics, printing and finishing. The intake of husk also reduces blood cholesterol levels. Isabgol is commercially very important as its export earns India foreign exchange worth INR 2.5 billion (US$1=44 INR). The plant is cultivated on a large scale in western India. In Gujarat, it is cultivated in about 144,000 ha of land, yielding 720 kg/ha. P. ovata has a narrow genetic base, and the lack of variability is on account of low chromosome number, small chromosome size, presence of high heterochromatin in the chromosomes, low chiasmata frequency and low recombination index. The genome size of the species is ∼500 Mb. Different breeding methods, namely selection, hybridization, induced mutations, polyploidy and tissue culture, have been used for genetic improvement of this plant. Except selections, which have led to isolation of a few varieties, the results of other methods have not been encouraging. P. ovata has about 200 wild allies, some of which are medicinally important. These wild species constitute a rich resource of important genes, which if transferred to cultivated species could revolutionize the production of Isabgol. The present paper highlights various aspects of genetic diversity, cultivation and utilization of this important medicinal plant, and suggests the prospects of genetic manipulation.

Chlorophytum borivilianum is an important medicinal plant known as ‘Safed musli’, used in many Ayurvedic vital tonics and aphrodisiac formulations. The species was first described from India in 1954 and reached rare status in nature due to overexploitation. Owing to its increased demand, the species has attracted the attention of farmers as well as researchers in several institutions. The present paper deals with various research aspects such as conservation biology, cytology, chemistry, plant genetic resources, micropropagation, crop management, etc. conducted on the crop for the last two decades in India. The species is diploid 2n=4x=28 and is mainly vegetatively propagated. Seeds remain dormant for nearly 10 months and also suffer from poor germination. Fleshy roots of the species contain saponins having therapeutic value. Germplasm collections made from different states in India show the occurrence of wide genetic variability in terms of plant type, maturity period, growth and yield characters, and size and shape of fleshy roots. Although the species is cross-pollinated in nature, self-pollination is also feasible artificially. One high-yielding cultivar and two high-yielding morphotypes have been recently identified. A micropropagation protocol using different explants has been standardized and agrotechnology for cultivation developed. Successful use of synthetic seed has also been reported. The article presents a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in the species with due emphasis on future thrust and possibilities.

Lichen-forming fungi are unique organisms, producing biologically active metabolites with a great variety of effects, including antibiotic, antimycobacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities. However, only very limited numbers of lichen substances have been screened for their biological activities and their therapeutic potential in medicine. This is certainly due to the difficulties encountered in identification of the species, collection of bulk quantities, and the isolation of pure substances for structure determination and testing activity. Recently, possibilities for bypassing some of these former difficulties have arisen by the introduction of new techniques. This includes axenic cultivation for production of the genuine compounds or new ones, extraction of focused compounds, or synthesis of natural products or their derivatives for testing. Utilizing these new opportunities, the discovery of novel active metabolites, which could serve as lead compounds, is significantly facilitated. At the same time, the evolution of secondary metabolite patterns is studied using phylogenetic approaches. Yet, the genetic background of the complex chemical patterns is poorly understood. The scattered occurrence of some compounds suggests that their production evolved either in parallel or that ancient biosynthetic pathways are abandoned in many lineages. At least, studies on polyketide synthase genes from different lichen groups suggest a high level of gene paralogy. In this context, clades of orthologous polyketide synthase genes, which are often shared with distantly related non-lichenized fungi, can roughly be identified by their sequence similarity and their similar patterns of substitution rates. The functional assignment of paralogs is nevertheless difficult and reasonable only in a few cases. A global approach of the lichen metabolomic features appears to be essential in developing new and viable biotechnological processes which could afford suitable amounts of unique lichen compounds.

Mushrooms are the fungi that have been used as food since time immemorial. Nutritionally they are a valuable source of health food, which is low in calories, and rich in carbohydrates, essential amino acids, fibre, important vitamins and minerals. Mushrooms have also been used in medicine for centuries in the Orient but their potential as health potentiators and elicitors of immune system is recent. In the last two decades there has been an upsurge on the use of mushrooms as nutraceuticals and many edible species have been thoroughly investigated and authenticated for medicinal use. The species that have been properly analysed for medicinal value are: Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), Lentinus edodes (Shiitake), Grifola frondosa (Maitake), Agaricus blazei (Hime-matsutake), Cordyceps militaris (Caterpillar fungus), Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster mushroom) and Hericium erinaceous (Lions mane). There are many more species of cultivated and wild edible and non-edible mushrooms that have been analysed for both their nutritional and nutraceutical components but to a lesser extent than those listed above. The active constituents found in mushrooms are polysaccharides, dietary fibres, oligosaccharides, triterpenoids, peptides and proteins, alcohols and phenols, and mineral elements such as zinc, copper, iodine, selenium and iron, vitamins, amino acids etc. These have been found to boost the immune system, have anti-cancerous properties, act as anti-hypercholesterolaemic and hepato-protective agents, show anti-HIV activity and anti-viral activity, and ameliorate the toxic effect of chemo- and radiotherapy. Many of the species are known to be aphrodisiacs. Many commercial products from these mushrooms are available in the market. Prominent among these are: Lentinan from Lentinus edodes, Concord Sunchih and Reishi Plus from Ganoderma lucidum, Grifon from Grifola frondosa and Didanosine from Cordyceps militaris. The nutraceuticals have been found to relieve the stress and pressure of modern society by stimulating both basic and secondary immune responses of the immune system. There are more than 5000 species of mushrooms recorded from all over the world out of which around 2000 are identified as edible. A large number of the species are yet to be analysed for their nutraceutical/medicinal potential.

Herbal medicine is used worldwide either as a sole treatment method or as part of a comprehensive treatment plan alongside orthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment. A survey reported that, in the USA, nearly one-sixth of women took at least one herbal product in 2000. Despite their widespread use, numerous reports show that the herbal products available to consumers are of variable quality. This disparity in quality of herbal preparations can be attributed to the fact that their production is complicated. To produce high-quality herbal products, attention must be paid to, among others, phytochemical variations due to plant breed, organ specificity, stages of growth, cultivation parameters, contamination by microbial and chemical agents, substitution, adulteration with synthetic drugs, heavy metal contamination, storage and extraction. This review focuses on organ specificity, seasonal variations, the effect of drying and storage, and the extraction of phytochemical constituents. Special emphasis is placed on the four most frequently used herbal products in the USA: echinacea, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng and St John's Wort.