In this article, we will discuss Forest Products and their Utility (Part-2). So, let’s get started.
Forest Products and their Utility (Part-2)
Oils
The raw materials for a number of perfumes and oils are also obtained from the herbs, plants, and trees. Some of them are camphor, clove, ylang, cinnamon-oil, cypress-oil, eucalyptus-oil, jasmine-oil, khus-oil, lavender-oil, lemon-grass-oil, mint-oil, sandalwood-oil, patchouli-oil, turpentine oil, nutmeg-oil, and champaca-oil.
Medicinal Herbs and Plants
A number of medicinal plants, herbs and trees are found in Indian forests. The leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, barks, roots, and seeds of different plants and scrubs are used as raw materials for tha manufacturer of a number of medicines. Some of the important herbs used for medicines are aconite, Keera-jari (insect herb), celery, belladone, colocynth, sarsaparilla, jalap, leadwort, chitraka, serpentine, and liquorice. The root of serpentine is an antidote for snake and insect bite. Barks of mountain ebony, Indian oak, quinine, Spanish-cherry bay-berry lodh-tree, Indian-red-wood, ashoka, arjuna, and Indian barberry have medicinal value. The stem of ephedrine, white sandal-wood, catechu, and long needle-pine are also of great medicinal importance. Leaves of vasaka, Indian aloe, poison-bulb, fever-nut, life-plant, swallow wart, Indian-penny-word, Tasmanian blue-gum, physic-nut, holy-basil, betel, pepper, and typlophora yield different drugs. Similarly, flowers of saffron, iron-wood, violet and fruits of bel, fish-berry, purging-cassia, coriander, cumin, fennel, emblic, opium,long-pepper,black and white pepper, belleric, myrobalan, ammi and solanum are used in medicine making. Keera-jari (insect herb) know as cordyceps sinensis is highly valued as a tremendous energy booster which cost about Rs. 2.5 lakh per kg.
Shellac
It is secreted by an insect called’Kerria lacca’ which feed on the saps of host trees like Palas, peepal, kusum, sissoo, kul, gular,siras, and banyan. These trees are extensively found in the Gangetic plains, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Assam. India has a monopoly in lac production in the world. It is used for dyeing silk, making bangles, paints, munitions, fire-works, gramophone records, sealing wax, electrical insulation material, shoe-dressing, plastic-moulding, spirit, baking enamels, and anti-moulding compositors for ships.
Resins
Resin is the exudation of paints belonging to phaneorogamic families. It is a yellowish solid, insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol. In the conifer pine forests of the Himalayan region, resin is collected on commercial scale. The resin is used for soap, and sizing paper and cloth. It is also used in the manufacture of sealing wax, linoleum,. lubricating compounds, paints, and several kinds of inks.
