While some medicinal herbs found in the North East, especially in Meghalaya can cure ailments ranging from snake bites to malaria, others could prove to be harmful, studies have found.
It has 50 varieties of herbs that can cure headache, asthma, jaundice and even chickenpox
AN herbal garden in a village in Tirunelveli provides herbs free of cost to villagers to cure a wide range of diseases including headache and jaundice.
Wild plant species also form an important component of livelihood strategies in Asia, with wild collection of medicinal and aromatic plants providing a critical source of income in many areas. This is particularly true in areas such as the high alpine regions of the Himalayas, where agricultural outputs are low and there are few other opportunities for income generation.
Nov 25: A unique agriculture festival called the tulsi mahotsav that celebrates the wonder herb tulsi (holy basil) was held in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh this week. The festival was celebrated by a cluster of 13 villages where tulsi cultivation is popular.
Central government has plans to introduce National Medicinal Herbs Mission soon on model of National Horticulture Mission with the aim of boosting medicinal herbs cultivation, developing medicinal nurseries, processing and marketing activities.
A sum of Rs 630 crore will be allocated in the 11th Five Year Plan for the same project, as decided by the central government.
Joe C Mathew / New Delhi November 05, 2008, 0:54 IST
Even as the debate over safety and essentiality of genetically modified (GM) foods continues, Indian research institutes are trying to genetically modify some high-value medicinal herbs that are an integral part of ayurvedic medicine, a recent report of pro-environment group Greenpeace has said.
The Nilgiris have wealth of diversity, which includes the varied floral and faunal diversity. Besides, tribal diversity is also high in this region. The Nilgiris are of the major hill stations that are home to around ten different primitive tribal communities with distinctive cultures.
