2022, Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part C

author(s)
Dr. Bharati Goswami and Dimpi Deka

abstract
The term ‘flora’ indicates all the plants growing in a particular area. Therefore, flora refers various types of plants. It is a known fact that plants have played a crucial role in the existence of human beings. In ancient India, people depended on plants to fulfill almost the requirements. The ancient works such as the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Epics, the Purāṇas, the Caraka-Saṁhitā, the Suśruta-Saṁhitā and such other works containing materials show that Botanical Science developed in ancient India through the knowledge of plants and trees. The ancient Indian Science of plant life was known as Vṛkṣāyurveda. The different aspects of the science of the treatment of the plants as revealed in the Bṛhatsaṁhitā. The Vṛkṣāyurveda chapter of the Bṛhatsaṁhitā describes very beautifully about the science of the treatment of the plants. In this chapter the author Varāhamihira enumerates the different aspects regarding the plant treatment, such as, treatment of seeds, method of planting trees, method of nourishment, diseases and treatment of diseased plants. This paper is an attempt to reflect the science of the treatment of flora as depicted in the Bṛhatsaṁhitā of Varāhamihira.