Vol. 3, Issue 9, Part B (2017)

Abstract
Traditional medicines play a great role in the history of disease biology and therapeutics in Manipur. But majority of the preparations of the traditional healers consists of a variety of plants so that any one or the other plant extract may cure the ailment. The modern medicines in the health sector are also originated from traditional medicines. We know plants usually have defensive mechanisms against its enemies like herbivores and animals either by developing thorns and sticky forms or by secreting chemical substances toxic to the animals. Some of the toxic substances have great medicinal value when used in little doses to the human beings whereas others may cause harmful effects even at low doses. Even the vegetables and pulses used at our kitchen daily are reported to have toxic effects in some way or the other. So the importance to identify qualitatively and quantitatively all the elements found in the local plants used by the traditional healers are being discussed so that after removing the toxic or unwanted substances we can use only the useful part of the plant in disease biology and therapeutics to develop into drugs.