Our Research Laboratory

The Laboratory of Bioactive Botanical Research is part of the Centre for Preclinical Studies (CPS) of CSIR-Northeast Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST). Research is focused on the study of bioactivity of medicinal plants and traditional foods of northeast India. The North Eastern Region of India is a genetic treasure house of plant, animal and microbial resources and it is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity rich zones of the world. The region has enormous potential to put these invaluable resources to use for the economic growth of the region in particular and to the nation in general. More than 200 tribes of different ethnic groups with distinct cultural entities inhabit the region and are custodians of a rich indigenous traditional knowledge system on the uses of components of biodiversity for their daily sustenance like food, fodder, shelter and healthcare. The lab is working on the evaluation of (ethno)pharmacological properties, and chemical analysis of plant materials as well as traditional foods of northeast India. The objective is to identify and validate the lesser known plants which are in folk medicine of northeast India as well as broaden the scope of the traditional foods scientifically in comparison to other known foods (fermented foods like tofu (China), nato (Japan), kefir (Russia), etc) which are famous in other parts of world.