The rise of phytopharmaceuticals in India: Opportunities and innovations

Phytopharmaceuticals are pharmaceutical products that contain active ingredients derived from plants or parts of plants (e.g., leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds). They represent a category of medicinal products that stand between herbal medicines and chemically synthesized drugs. Phytopharmaceuticals undergo rigorous scientific evaluation, including clinical trials, and are required to meet the same standards of efficacy, safety, and quality as conventional pharmaceutical products. The history of phytopharmaceuticals in India is deeply rooted in the country’s traditional medicinal systems, which have utilized plant-based remedies for thousands of years. India has a rich heritage of using plants for medicinal purposes, most notably through Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Tibetan medicine. Over time, the traditional knowledge of herbal medicines has evolved into modern phytopharmaceuticals, where scientific validation, standardization, and regulatory oversight have become integral parts of drug development.