The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Video Compact Disc on medicinal plants

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 19, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Video Compact Disc on medicinal plants

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE, AUG.18. A video compact disc on medicinal plants prepared by the Sri Putru Maharishi Social Medical Service Centre, the Field Publicity Office, Government of India and the Forest Department was released by C.K.Sreedharan, Chief Conservator of Forests (Tamil Nadu Afforestation Project), Chennai, at a function jointly organised by the three agencies here on Tuesday.

Mr. Sreedharan said there were 45,000 species of plants in Tamil Nadu, of which 8000 had medicinal properties.

Some of the species including the Asoka trees were gradually becoming extinct, and the forest department was taking steps to conserve and multiply them.

A. Samant Singhar, Conservator of Forests, Vellore circle, said the Indian trade in medicinal plants was more than Rs.4000 crores annually, and it was growing at the rate of more than seven to nine per cent. Ninety per cent of the plants are from the forest area, and the medicines are extracted from different parts of the plants.

The local people, without knowing the procedures, extracted the whole tree, thus destroying the species. The CD was being released to create awareness on the medicinal plants among the school students and educate them on identification of the plants, thus facilitating the conservation of the species.

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