Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Forest department to establish centre for medicinal plants

V.S. Palaniappan

It is aimed at creating awareness among farmers and practitioners of Indian medicine

PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES: A medicinal plant conservation centre at Top Slip in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, near Pollachi. — Photo: M. Balaji

Coimbatore: The Forest Department is planning to establish a Medicinal Plants Demonstration Area (MPDA) garden at the foothills of Marudhamalai about 25 km from here and would focus on in situ conservation.

The department plans to propagate awareness to farmers and practitioners of various Indian medicines such as Ayurveda, Sidha and Unani and local health traditions, besides educating the public on the value of these plants and the need for conserving them.

When contacted, the District Forest Officer, Coimbatore, I. Anwardeen, told The Hindu that under guidance from the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, P.C. Tyagi, the MPDA is being planned in a two-hectare plot.

Seedlings

The demonstration centre would raise seedlings for the farmers besides growing them for domestic consumption as well as for forest department personnel.

The garden would strive to encourage the practice of cultivating medicinal plants outside the reserve forests to meet the growing demand at the present time.

Collection

The centre would strive to collect seeds and seedlings of medicinal plants including shrubs, herbs, creepers and climbers found in Western Ghats and across Tamil Nadu.

The entire project was being planned with the help of V. Chelladurai, a former research officer in botany from the Ministry of Health, Government of India, who has co-authored a book on medicinal plants in Tamil Nadu. Mr.Anwardeen said that there were at least 1,200 to 1,500 known medicinal plants species.

To begin with, about 70 very rare and frequently used medicinal plant species for common ailments, have been collected from Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Dindigul and Western Ghats.

Work on updating the nursery would be a continuous process.

Some of the rare and most-sought-after species that are to be showcased at the Marudhamalai garden included rauwolfia, saraca and trichopus.

Conservation

There were similar medicinal plant conservation centres in Vivekanada Kendra, Kanyakumari; Medicinal Plant conservation Centre (MPCA) at Top Slip in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Pollachi, and at the Aliyar checkpost on the road to Valparai.

There was the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT) in Bangalore, with IFS officers on deputation.

The department would equip its nursery by staying in constant touch with these institutions.

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