Despite the bad press that traditional Chinese medicine sometimes receives, proponents believe it represents an untapped
pharmacopeia and are using cutting edge biotechnology to prove it. Gary Humphreys reports.

Bumper crop of vegetables, herbs despite insufficient rain

In an article that forms part of the PLoS Medicine series on Big Food, Carlos Monteiro and Geoffrey Cannon provide a perspective from Brazil on the rise of multinational food companies and the displacement of traditional food systems, and offer suggestions for the public health response.

Ethno medicinal survey was conducted in Satpura region with special reference to Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. This district is a forest district,Chhindwara district, has acquired great importance because of its scenic beauty. Patalkot is a lovely landscape located at a depth of 1200-1500 feet in a valley, inhabited by Gonds, Bharia tribes who are entirely dependent on forest for medication. Information on 15 plant species belong to 15 genera and 14 families which are traditionally used as medicine to cure malaria was collected.

The Guassa area of Menz in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia is an Afro-alpine ecological community with an indigenous resource management system. The local community harvest different resources including collecting grass and firewood from the Guassa area. Cattle and other livestock are also grazed in the Guassa area, especially during the dry season. Several sympatric species of endemic rodents dominate the small mammal ecological communities in the Guassa area, and form most of the diet of the endangered Ethiopian wolf.

The investigation on phytomedicine was conducted in order to asses the traditional uses and exact distribution of medicinal flora of arid areas of Pakistan. It was found that in a total of 59 plant species belonging to 50 genera and 30 families are reported to be used for different diseases as asthma, piles, cancer, skin diseases, as astringent, spermatorrhea, as refrigerant and diabetes. It was investigated that conservation of medicinally important plants and traditional folk knowledge is necessary in order to save them from extinction.

This article deals with how Chuktia Bhunjia tribe of Orissa negotiates with their ecosystem to ensure that agricultural production and livelihood are sustainable. This study shows that the reasons behind continuation of traditional agriculture are the life experience with the traditional methods and cultural acceptance that not only make them economical but help in managing the ecosystem and natural resources management, and in procuring good production.

Published by the UN University (UNU) Traditional Knowledge Initiative and the UNESCO, the book "Weathering Uncertainty: traditional knowledge for climate change assessment and adaptation" was launched at the International Council for Science's Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, held in parallel to the UN Con

This article provides an account of the research journey, including some detours, towards the destination of several innovative projects, evidence based Ayurveda and global acceptance of integrative medicine.

Increasing frequency and intensity of earthquakes has renewed the urgency in improving the preparedness and in making the infrastructure earthquake-resistant. Sikkim, a northeastern Indian Himalayan state, was hit by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake of intensity VII on 18 September 2011, which triggered hundreds of boulder falls and landslides, causing extensive damage to public and private infrastructure. An assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the various structures present in rural areas was carried out. Assessment of the quantum of damage indicated that though

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