Abstract:
Ayurveda, the ‘Science of Life’ is a system of treatment for promoting health, prevention and
curing of illnesses. In Sri Lanka, Ayurvedic and traditional physicians treat patients success
fully using herbs and other natural resources. Some of the herbs used to prepare medicines are
considered as weeds by agriculturists. They generally advise farmers to destroy these weeds in
order to obtain a better cash-crop harvest, with out realizing the medicinal value and uses of
these plants. Though many of the farmers have quite a good knowledge on medicinal value of
these herbs, in order to get a good harvest from their cultivation, they generaly destroy these
plants. Some of the farmers do not have any knowledge on medicinal value of weeds. Aim of
this study is to make the society aware of medicinal values of many weeds which grow natu
rally, without any effort or outlay of money from the farmers, and to protect and propagate
planned cultivation of such weeds. This would make many highly useful medicinal plants freely
available to the public while providing a source of an additional income to the farmers. In the
long run, with proper planning and support, the growing and marketing of medicinal herbs
which are currently categorized as weeds could become a very good source of income to the
country, while providing an additional, easily available source of natural medicines to the
populace. More over such herbs could be made use to serve as live ground covers in cultivated
fields. Possible hazards of herbicides could also be minimized with exploitation of such weeds.
