Ancient man used many plants or a part of the plant as very good remedies for various ailments and it is well known that man depends on plants as sources of food and some of the constituents derived from plants are used as perfumes and spices. Some of the medicinal plants were used as a household remedy by common people and our grandmother’s herbal remedies are still effective. In some cases, they are as good as those of modern medicine. Above all plants and their parts are used as life-saving agents in many diseases. The Ayurvedic, Unani, and Siddha systems of medicine in India have a long history of using drugs extracted from plants and herbs. A review of Charaka and Sushruta's tests, which compiled a wealth of information about the ayurvedic philosophy, reveals that the knowledge was built on a solid basis of the scientific methodology using the methods available at the time. However, for a variety of reasons, these indigenous medical systems were unable to keep up with the enormous developments in basic science knowledge that occurred in western countries during the 19th and 20th centuries, and thus their growth was slowed. Aristolochic acid obtained from Aristolochiaindica is thought to be responsible for the majority of the plant's risks, as evidenced by the literature. Because of its hazardous effects, folklore usage of the plant as an abortifacient and antivenom should be limited.