Water contamination is a pervasive global crisis, affecting over 2 billion people worldwide, with pharmaceutical contaminants emerging as a significant concern due to their persistence and mobility in aquatic ecosystems. This review explores the potential of activated hydrochars, sustainable materials produced through biomass pyrolysis, to revolutionize the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from water sources. These materials possess high surface area, porous structure, and exceptional adsorption capabilities, making them a promising solution. The impact of pharmaceutical contaminants on aquatic ecosystems and human health is far-reaching, affecting biodiversity, water quality, and public health. To address this complex issue, a diverse range of techniques, including adsorption, biodegradation, and advanced oxidation processes, are employed in the pharmaceutical industry. Activated hydrochars offer substantial adsorption capacity, sustainable feedstock origins, and a minimal carbon footprint. This review highlights their potential in pharmaceutical contaminant removal and their broader applications in improving soil and air quality, resource recovery, and sustainable waste management. Interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of intelligent treatment systems are essential to fully unlock the potential of activated hydrochars. Regulatory support and policy frameworks will facilitate their responsible and widespread application, promising a cleaner and more sustainable future. This paper aims to inform scientists, environmental experts, policymakers, and industry stakeholders about the promising role of activated hydrochars in addressing pharmaceutical contaminant challenges.

The Government of India set up the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) to promote the medicinal plants sector on November 24, 2000, under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare. The board is a nonstatuary coordinating body and is now a section of the Ministry of Ayush (MoA). The primary mandate of NMPB is to develop an appropriate mechanism for coordination between various ministries/departments/organizations and implementation of support policies/programs for overall (conservation, cultivation, trade, and export) growth of the medicinal plants sector both at the central/state and international level. NMPB, under its Central Sector Scheme (CSS) on “Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants,” provides project-based financial support to explore various aspects of medicinal plants. Different scheme components of NMPB are functioning, such as Conservation, Research and Development (R&D), Information, Education, and Communication and Training, Herbal Gardens, Marketing and Trade, and International Cooperation. NMPB implements various programs/policies through its 37 State Medicinal Plants Boards at different state/UT levels, 6 Regional Cum Facilitation Centers at the region level, and also through various State Forest Departments/Horticulture Departments/Agriculture Departments. NMPB is also assisted by the Project Screening Committees, Project Approval Committee, and other Committees constituted as per the requirement of the CSS guideline. The present article deals with the overall contribution of NMPB to the medicinal plant sectors since its inception. The article places interest in outcomes that would gradually help the country meet its international obligation in various aspects of medicinal plants/sectors.

Aims: To find out the comparative effects of the capsules prepared from the drugs Guduchi [Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers] and Amalaki (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) in cases of premature aging due to stress. Study Design: Comparative open clinical trial. Place and Duration of Study: IPD and OPD of National Institute of Ayurveda and Seth Soorajmal Bombawala Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, between June 2016 and April 2017. Methodology: We included 30 patients (14 men, 16 women; age range 25-60 years) with premature aging due to stress, without any other acute or serious systemic disorders. They were randomly divided in three groups with 10 patients in each. Group A- was treated with capsule of Guduchi 1 gm/day, Group B–capsule of Amalaki 1 gm/day and Group C- was treated with 500mg capsules of Guduchi and Amalaki separately once daily for 3 months. Visual Analogue Scale and Stress were assessed by Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). Objective parameters like CBC, CRP, FBS, Blood Urea, creatinine, SGOT, SGPT and Serum cholesterol were also analysed. Results: Marked effect of therapy was observed in group C, where the significant changes (p<0.05) were observed on subjective parameters like Dizziness, Constipation, Aching Muscles, Sleep abnormality, Loss of appetite, Fatigue, Generalized Weakness. In HARS scale significant changes (p<0.01) were found on Anxious Mood and Intellectual power, along with on Tension, Fears, Insomnia, Depressed Mood and Gastrointestinal Symptoms statistically significant (p<0.05) changes were also observed. Similarly on objective parameters like Hb%, Eosinophils and TPLC, significant effect (p<0.05) of therapy was observed. Along with these marked significant (p<0.01) effect was observed in improvement of Neutrophil, Lymphocyte, TRBC, TPLC and PCV. But In ANOVA Test for Intergroup Comparison no significant changes (p>0.05) were found except on the parameters like abnormality in sleep, FBS and TLC where p value was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Both the test drugs, stem of Guduchi and dried fruit rinds of Amalaki were found to be significantly effective in premature ageing due to stress, but the effect was quantitatively better in Group C (Guduchi and Amalaki). However these findings need further validation in large scale study.

Aims: To evaluate the Pharmacognostical and Phytochemical characteristics of the stem bark of Rhododendron arboreum Sm.(Pullas) Place and Duration of Study: Pharmacognostical and phytochemical laboratory, PG Department of Dravyaguna Vigyana, National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur-302002 and Ayushraj Laboratory, Jaipur. During the period of October 2017 to December 2017. Methodology: Rhododendron arboreum Sm. was collected from Godawari Botanical Garden of Nepal, Ministry of forest, Govt. of Nepal, during the month of September 2017. The samples were Identified and authenticated by the same institution. Then the materials were subjected to evaluate the Macroscopic study, Microscopic study, Physicochemical study, Phytochemical screening, Heavy Metals Analysis, Determination of Aflatoxins and Pesticide residue analysis as per the standard available guideline. Results: The microscopic feature of stem bark Rhododendron arborieum Sm. after treatment of different reagents (safranin, fecl₃, iodine etc.) showed various cellular and chemical structures like scaliform vessels, calcium oxalate, starch grain, fragment of cork cells and pitted vessel. Physicochemical analysis showed Moisture content-7.55%, Total ash-2.11%, Acid insoluble ash-3.47%, Water soluble ash-0.91%, Aqueous extractive value-3.45%, Ether extractive value-3.17%, Petroleum ether extractive value-1.83, Ph-4.6. Analysis of heavy metal and aflatoxin analysis showed parameters were the within limit as per API standard. HPTLC screening of ethanol extract of the test sample showed four unknown chemical constituent with R_f value 0.12, 0.25, 0.47, 0.71 ; where the mobile solution was used Toluene: Ethyl acetate: Formic acid (5: 4: 1). Conclusion: Result of the study may act as future standard for authentication of the genuine plant, Rhododendron arboreum Sm.(Pullas) which is used as a source of famous Ayurveda plant Rohitaka (the plant used for liver and spleen disorders) in Nepal. There is a scope of further scientific research to explore this important medicinal in future.

Swasthya Rakshan Programme (SRP) provides health care services through Ayurveda, an initiative of the Government of India that aims to survey and create alertness of essential health appliances to ameliorate society from its grassroots level. The present study aimed to survey the prevailing health standards of residents in certain districts of India and to record the prevalence of diseases among them according to their living conditions, food habits, lifestyle, education, occupation and other socio-economic status. Data was collected through a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted from April 2018 to March 2019 in 22 Districts of 19 states in India. A stratified multi-stage sampling design was adopted for the survey. Documentation of demographic profile, food habits, lifestyle, hygiene status, and existing health conditions was assessed. A pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire was used for the collection of the data. Before initiating the programme, written consent was obtained. In this study, from 162 selected villages/colonies/areas, a total of 562,913 population and 81,651 households were surveyed. Sixty-nine thousand three hundred nineteen patients were cared for various ailments through health camps. The study found that the most prevalent disease in the concerned population was ‘ Sandhivata’ (Osteo-arthritis), that is, 43.0%, followed by ‘ Dourbalya’ (Debility), that is, 11.7%. The study includes insightful analyses of comprehensive demographic and health indicators classified by various socio-economic categories. The collected data regarding the prevalence of diseases with their sociodemographic correlations may provide a better understanding of the locality and thus may help in all future health endeavours.