There are many ways to define an herb. In the botanical sense, an “herb” is an herbaceous plant that lacks a woody stem and dies to the ground each winter. Another definition describes herbs as any plant or plant part that has historically been used for medicinal, culinary or fragrance purposes. And a broad definition of an herb is defined as a “useful plant” but one has to wonder what is meant by useful. A gardener may wish to choose herb plants that have culinary value, aromatic value and medicinal value. And in addition to these traditional qualities, many herbs also offer a great deal of ornamental value to the garden as well. Treatment with medicinal plants is considered very safe as there is no or minimal side effects. These remedies are in sync with nature, which is the biggest advantage. The golden fact is that, use of herbal treatments is independent of any age groups and the sexes. Medicinal plants such as Aloe, Tulsi, Neem, Turmeric and Ginger cure several common ailments. These are considered as home remedies in many parts of the country. It is known fact that lots of consumers are using Basil (Tulsi) for making medicines, black tea, in pooja and other activities in their day to day life.
Taking this into consideration, Department of Botany Khalsa College for Women Amritsar established herbal garden in college campus with following objectives:
To encourage and promote students to introduce the herbal garden concept.
- To inculcate a sense of familiarity with surrounding biodiversity and its conservation, especially herbal plants.
- To educate students in identifying different types of herbs and their uses including growing them in a garden.
- To encourage students to use herbs in food.