Synopsis The quest for good health and immortality has been a continuous human endeavour since the beginning of civilisation throughout the world. Plants have been used as a source of medicine by men from ancient times. Initially, these formed the bulk of folk or ethnomedicine, practised in India and some other parts of the world. Later, a considerable part of this indigenous knowledge was formulated, documented and eventually passed into the organised systems of medicine, such as Ayurveda, Unani, Sidha or some other systems outside India. Subsequently, with the advance in techniques of phytochemistry and pharmacology, a number of active principles of medicinal plants were isolated and introduced as valuable drugs in modern medicine. The present book, Medicinal Plants: Conservation and Utilisation, contains 20 chapters covering holistic information on medicinal plants, their utilisation, conservation, cultivation and diseases with special reference to the Indian scenario. Articles on medicinal pteridophytes and ethnomedicinal plants have been included. A comprehensive account of 'current advances in herbal based contraceptive research' and plants with anti-oxidative properties in radio-protection have added to the value of the book. Excellent account of intellectual property rights, growth and competitiveness of Indian pharmaceutical industries have been given in the book. This book provides adequate background and current information on medicinal plants. It will be very useful for a variety of scholars--historians and practitioners of medicine, researchers in botany, phytochemistry and pharmacology and also phytogeographers and conservationists.