Aromatic and medicinal plants have seen a growing demand owing to rise in holistic approach, low cost, and little side effects of the traditional medical system based on Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unnani have made it popular. This may have increased demand for products made from therapeutic plants. Medical plants were being harvested from their natural environments with little to no supervision. Due to the overuse of these plant species, horticulture has become the only viable solution to meet the rising demand. Compared to traditional field crops, medicinal crops offer superior economic potential and are distinguished by high value-low volume.

Advantages of medicinal crops over traditional crops

• Medicinal crops provide better returns than traditional crops;

• Export demand • Fetch better prices in the market

• Nom-perishable in nature in processed or semi-processed conditions.

• Largely drought tolerant, and not easily grazed by animals;

• Have low incidence of pest and diseases;

• Could be raised as inter-crops, along with traditional crops, and also on degraded lands;

• Could provide scope of entrepreneurship development locally.

• Essentially industrial importance and cash crop.