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Materia Medica team embarks on medicinal field trip to Lahual & Spiti
Every year during the month of August, Materia Medica Department (MMD) of Men-Tsee-Khang embarks on a medicinal field excursion to different regions across Nepal, Sikkim and Ladakh, and especially the places bordering Tibet and India, and in South India.
 Despite inhospitable, harsh and tough weather conditions in the higher reaches of the Himalayas, the team headed by Dr.Tsering Norbu, Director of MMD, made their trip to Lahual and Spiti from 6th to 14th August 2006 this year. He was accompanied by Dr. Tsultrim Kalsang, doctor of MMD; Mr. Tsewang Gyatso, Science lecturer; and Ms. Bhuti Karpoche, a student from the University of British Columbia, Canada. This field trip was focused mainly in two important areas: Pin valley and sMan Ri keybo (Medicine mountian), with kind assistance from the local resident doctors, Dr. Norbu Gyaltsen and Amchi Ngawang Tsering. The team were able to collect specimen samples of more than one hundred medicinal plants for the herbarium here at the Men-Tsee-Khang. The team had a very successful medicinal field trip this time.
The purpose of the medicinal field trip is to collect various kinds of medicinal plants from biodiversity of high altitudes to low regions to preserve these plants in the herbarium for specimens and documentations.These are also used as important resources of education for medical students and scientific research for researchers or scholars. Also intended is the production of these plants in the publication of books on medicinal plants. The department successfully published the 1st volume of their planned project to produce series of volumes on medicinal plants both in English and Tibetan version. The remaining six volumes of the series books on Tibetan medicinal plants are currently being worked on.
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