A case for cultivation

In this fast growing world everything is vulnerable for commercial exploitation. With a boom in medicinal herbs business, people rush for a fast money, leaving behind a trail of destruction on natural resources underneath their footsteps.
The rates at which many plants come under the lists of rare species over the years are alarming.

There is nothing wrong, actually, in using plants for medicinal values. People have been, for ages, using them for medicinal purposes and there hardly was problem of getting herbs then.

The question here is: why do we face problem of rarity at this juncture? I think it is as simple as you may think.
Commercialization! The root that gives life for exploitation to stem from.

There is nothing else that we could do to stop this business trend, to check depletion in natural resources, except to concentrate on conservation project. And the only viable action is to cultivate plants that fall under the rare species’ lists. The Men-Tsee-Khang has been, for many years, pursuing this after having undergone numerous trial & error aspects of cultivations.

Apart from a small herb garden situated at the headquarters here in Dharamsala, steps to conserve medicinal plants have also been initiated in a five-acre land in Sonada, Darjeeling, situated at an elevation of 2143 meters above sea level.

Along with cultivation project, a need to educate locals on the importance to safeguard natural resources have also been discussed at the administration-level-meetings showcasing utmost commitment necessary from all relevant quarters. The administration’s vision to encourage locals on cultivation project will surely bear fruits, provided if locals are well informed on the importance of biodiversity, its pros and cons. This initiative will contribute enormously to safegaurd natural resources as well as help locals generate extra household income. As a preliminary action, this proposal has given birth to another cultivation project in Ladakh, currently under trial.

Once the actual cultivation starts in Ladakh, the administration will then be in a position to gauge its outcome. Depending on its results, this step will become instrumental in advocating locals on cultivation.

Once this dream project takes off then the major hurdles will lift off naturally to pave way for a transaction indispensable in the conservation work.

Looking back at the progress, the institute made over the years are quite remarkable. For instance, the Sonada cultivation work has been very encouraging. Cultivation trial on rare species and particularly those, which are commonly used in Tibetan medicines are simultaneously undertaken in the programme. The Materia Medica Department reports that it has so far focused in the propagation and cultivation of various plants such as: Arctium lappa, Sassurea lappa, Inula racemosa & Meconopsis sp. The former two plants produce most promising results among others.

To some extent, these plantations have been able to meet requirements of the Pharmaceutical Department in assisting in the production of safe and high quality medicinal pills, supplied to the institute’s 48 odd branch clinics throughout India & Nepal.

It is also the hope of the administration that the years to come shall give birth to more such projects to combat depletion in natural resources that barrens the once lust greens of the mighty Himalayan regions, the paradise of herbs.