Medicinal Plants: Biodiversity, Biotechnology and Conservation

Professor. Sumita Jha (nee Mukherjee), FNASc., FWAST, received her M.Sc. (1975) and Ph.D. (1981) from the University of Calcutta, Kolkata. She joined the same University as UGC Research Scientist in 1985 and as a faculty member in Botany in 1990. She was appointed Associate Professor in 1993 and became Professor in 2001. She has been involved in teaching courses on plant biology, molecular genetics, and biotechnology. Prof. Jha’s group has developed transgenic cell and organ cultures in a number of rare, endangered indigenous medicinal plants for the production of high-value pharmaceuticals. Dr. Mihir Halder, Assistant Professor in the Post Graduate Department of Botany, Barasat Government College, West Bengal, India, received his B.Sc. with honors in Botany (2007) from Presidency College, Kolkata and M. Sc. in Botany (2009) from University of Calcutta, India. He was awarded Ph.D. in Biochemistry (2017) from University of Calcutta. He is actively engaged in teaching courses on Genetics, Cell and Molecular Biology and Plant Biotechnology for over seven years. His research interest includes medicinal plant biotechnology and cytogenetics.

• 1. The Current Status of Population Extinction and Biodiversity Crisis of Medicinal Plants.- 2. Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Phytochemical Diversity: A Fountainhead of Potential Drugs against Human Diseases.- 3. Threats and opportunities for sustainable use of medicinal plants in Brazilian Atlantic Forest based on the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.- 4. Climate Change Impact on Medicinal Plants: An Insight from the IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species.- 5. Securing Conservation Status of Paris Polyphylla, a Medicinally Important Plant of the Indian Himalayan Region.- 6. Endophytic Fungal Diversity in Solanaceous Medicinal Plants and Their Beneficial Impact.- 7. Genetic Studies on Threatened Medicinal Plants of Brazil: Mind the Gap.- 8. Medicinal Plants of North-east India: Biodiversity and Their Ethno-Medicinal Values.- 9. Strategies for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plants.- 10. Scientific Databases for Conservation of Medicinal Plants.- 11. International Trade of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs).- 12. Inventorization of Ecology, Ethnobotany and Conservation Status of Dactylorhiza hatagirea: Problems Progress and Prospects.- 13. Conservation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plants.- 14. Traditional Practices of Ethnomedicinal Plants in North-East Region of India and Their Conservation for Sustainable Utilization.- 15. Occurrence and Diversity of Major Naphthoquinones in Higher Plants: Their Distribution and Conservation Strategies.- 16. Astragalus fridae genetic Source,Applications, and Conservation.- 17. Tinospora cordifolia as a Potential Candidate for Health Care Of Post-Menopausal Women.- 18. The Potential Role of Medicinal Plants, Traditional Herbal Medicines and Formulations to Overcome SARS-CoV-2 Induced Health Crisis.- 19. Bioactive Compounds from Medicinal Plants and Its Therapeutic Uses in the Traditional Health Care System.- 20. In-Vitro conservation and propagation of endangered Ethno-Medicinal Orchids from the Northeast Region of India.- 21. Artificial Seed Production and Cryopreservation Technology for Conservation of Plant Germplasm with Special Reference to Medicinal Plants.- 22. Biotechnological Studies on Nasturtium Officinale (Watercress) - An Endangered Species of Significant Relevance in Medicine, Cosmetic, and Food Industries.- 23. Isatis tinctoria L. (woad) – Cultivation, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Biotechnology, and Utilization.- 24. Tissue Culture Techniques to Conserve Endangered Medicinal Plants with Antimicrobial and Antiviral Activities.- 25. Insights into the In Vitro Approaches for the Production of Secondary Metabolites Towards The Conservation of Medicinal Orchids.- 26. Biotechnological Approaches for Ex Situ Conservation of Medicinal Plants.- 27. Conservation of Medicinal Plants by Tissue Culture Techniques.- 28. Current Statusof Metabolic Engineering of Medicinal Plants for Production of Plant-derived Secondary Metabolites.- 29. Stationary, Agitated and Bioreactor Cultures of Verbena officinalis L. (Common Vervain) - A Potential Rich Source of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds for Pharmacy, Health Food Industry and Cosmetology.