NON ANGIOSPERMIC PLANTS ARE ALSO ANCIENT MEDICINAL PLANTS : CONSERVE AND EXPLORE THEM !!

Entire biological world has evolved and survived on the basis of unity, diversity and interdependence among species inhabiting this planet over millions and millions of years. Forests are the products of these prolific biological activities and their types, forms and sizes are the cumulative effect of thousands of species corresponding to micro and macro organisms interacting with their genetic potentials and environmental factors. So forests are not merely a jungle of trees and shrubs housing animals but are first rate natural well knitted web for the basic survival of species living in and out side of the forest ecosystems. Cross breeding trees multiply only when their pollens are either loaded at the back of bees and insects or carried away by the wind; or also carried by the birds visiting flowers. Seeds and fruits need to be disseminated by a variety of means. Animals more so the lower mammals depend on food and shelters under the covers of trees and shrubs; the essential carpet flora enriching the soil and mechanical support are the pteridophytes-fern flora. Ferns and Mosses thrive as epiphytes as well as offer a tough nutritiously rich and biologically safe accomplishment of a natural rich forest for which Indian forests are very well known.
These lower groups of plants particularly bryophytes and pteridophytes are equally superior grade of medicinal plants not cared for, much in India as a whole and too specifically in Central India. We have enormous wealth of these plants in forests of Central, Western, Northern, Eastern and Southern flora.

A large number of Pteridophytes many Bryophytes including Lichens have been used in ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicinal literature. China, India, Korea, Japan and also Egypt have used herbal medicines 50% of which are lower plants since 4000 BC(Species of Lycopodium, Selaginella, Pteridium, Christella, Actinopteris, Angiopteris, Isoetes, Ophioglossum etc. Among bryophytes; Riccia, Plagiochasma; genera of mosses, including Sphagnum, Funaria, Polytrichum etc produce antibiotics and very useful complex organic compounds; many species of Lichens have anticancerous substances). Life saving drugs and chemical compounds are being extracted and exploited now in USA, Germany and all advancing countries by most pharmaceutical companies including Indian ones.
This is strongly suggested that there should be good field stations just in the peripheral region of reserved forests with large green houses to function as "Fernariums/, Mossariums/ and or Lichenariums" to conserve and maintain rare, endangered and medically superlative species found in those areas/forests. Only a pertinent /relevant experienced Botanist should take care of the functioning of these centers as an autonomous bodies and all such centers be attached to a new "Institute for Medicinal plants" which need to be set up in each state of the country. This would be possible to elaborate all these areas and proposals in due course of time subject to promise of funds for research work. Unfortunately however, many deeper forest areas are no more available for exploration and new discoveries in many parts of the country for variety of reasons.