Explanation:Ayurveda and medicinal plants are synonymous. In rural India, 70 PER cent of the population depends on traditional medicines or Ayurveda. Many medicinal herbs and spices are used in Indian style of cooking, such as onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, CORIANDER, fenugreek, fennel, ajwain, anise, bay leaf, hing (asafoetida) and black pepper. Ayurvedic medicine uses all of these either in DIET or in the form of medication. Some of these medicinal plants have been featured on Indian POSTAGE stamps also. As per the National Medicinal Plants Board, India has 15 agro climatic zones and 17,000–18,000 species of flowering plants. Out of this, 6000–7000 species are estimated to have medicinal usage. About 960 species of medicinal plants are estimated to be in trade, of which 178 species have annual consumption levels in excess of 100 metric tonne. Medicinal plants are not only a major resource base for the traditional medicine and herbal industry but also provide Ayurveda and Medicinal Plants 144 Indian Contributions to Science livelihood and health security to a large segment of the Indian population. India is the largest producer of medicinal plants. The domestic trade of the AYUSH industry is of the order of 80–90 billion. Indian medicinal plants and their products also account for EXPORTS to the tune of 10 billion.