London: India plans to promote Ayurveda and the traditional system of medicine in a big way to tap the $ 27 billion global market, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shatrughan Sinha said.

There was vast potential for the growth of traditional system of medicine and the global demand was expected to touch $ 5 trillion by 2050, Sinha, who was in London on a brief halt on his way back to New Delhi from New York after visits to Germany and the United States said on August 27 night.

Out of the 45,000 herbal plants registered world-wide, India had about 15,000 and of them and 7,000 were being put to use.

Sinha said he made a detailed presentation at the 5th International Congress on Traditional Asian Medicines at Halle in Germany on Indian efforts to promote the traditional system of medicine.

Similarly, in New York, he met representatives of the 35,000-strong Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and discussed ways and means of how they could contribute for improving health care in India.

He said Europe was one of the major growing markets for the traditional system of medicine and needed special marketing efforts.

The German Conference was attended by 100 international delegates from countries like China, Mongolia, Korea, Philippines, Germany, Austria, and UK besides India. From India 26 specialists on Ayurveda and other traditional system of medicines participated.

PTI