Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants in Green Nanotechnology: From Traditional Knowledge to Modern Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Nanotechnology has opened new possibilities for designing materials with unique properties at the atomic and molecular scale, but conventional synthesis methods often rely on toxic chemicals, high energy consumption, and hazardous by-products that raise serious environmental and safety concerns. Green nanotechnology offers a cleaner, more sustainable alternative by using biological resources—particularly plants—to produce nanoparticles through simple, eco-friendly reactions. Among the many plant sources explored for this purpose, Ayurvedic medicinal plants stand out as an especially promising option, given their long history of therapeutic use and their rich content of bioactive phytochemicals such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and polyphenols. These naturally occurring compounds not only reduce and stabilize metal ions during nanoparticle formation but also carry over their own antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties into the resulting nanomaterials.This study explores how traditional Ayurvedic knowledge can be meaningfully connected to modern nanotechnology, focusing on well-known medicinal plants such as Neem, Tulsi, Turmeric, Ashwagandha, Giloy, Amla, Aloe vera, Brahmi, and Shatavari.