A review on the micropropogation of an important medicinal plant inula racemosa hook. f.

Medicinal plants have been used indigenously since ancient past as medicines for the treatment of various ailments. Medicinal plants based traditional systems of medicines are playing important role in providing health care to large section of population, especially in developing countries. The global demand for herbal medicine is not only large, but growing. Due to many reasons many plants are becoming endanger or about to extinct. Most of the causal factors currently threatening plant species are anthropogenic in nature i.e. induced or influenced by man. These factors include habitat loss or modification often associated with habitat fragmentation, over-exploitation for commercial and subsistence reasons, accidental or deliberate introduction of exotic species which may compete with native species. Inula racemosa Hook. F. is one such plant which is listed as a rare species according to the Red Data Book of Indian plants. Due to the fragile nature of its habitat and exploitation because of its commercial medicinal properties, the species are facing the onslaught of indiscriminate over-exploitation while other reasons include lengthy cultivation cycle, prevalence of small land holdings and continuously fluctuating market prices. So far, this plant has not got the required attention from researchers, hence, except for a few efforts, not much work has been done for its cultivation and conservation. Plant tissue culture offers an attractive and quick method for its multiplication at large scale and further conservation for future generation.