The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhiites will be encourged to grow medicinal plants

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Wednesday, Aug 29, 2007
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New Delhi

Delhiites will be encourged to grow medicinal plants

Staff Reporter

Photo: Anu Pushkarna

Green flag: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at the launch of the Home Herbal Garden Initiative in the Capital on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: Residents of Delhi and suburbs will soon be able to reap the benefits of medicinal plants and for this they will only have to reach out to their own backyard.

In a community outreach programme for Home Herbal Gardens launched by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in association with the National Medicinal Plants Board on Tuesday, residents will be encouraged to grow medicinal plants.

The Home and Herbal Gardens are aimed at filling the critical void in the area of herbal resource development and extension activities.

As part of the initiative, residents will be made aware of the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal and aromatic plants. These plants are easy to maintain, require minimal space, have medicinal value and are safe and effective, besides having aesthetic value as well. One can grow these plants in different ways -- in pots, trays, polythene bags, or decorative baskets. The programme will also help conserve plant resources used in Indian systems of medicine.

“Herbal and Botanic Gardens can play a key role in protecting all our herbal plants for the future. TERI’s initiative highlights the importance of plants and the ecosystem services they provide for all life on earth, with a focus on biodiversity and human well-being.” said TERI Director-General R. K. Pachauri.

Under the Home and Herbal Gardens programme, residents will be encouraged and assisted to grow select medicinal plants such as “tulsi”, “brahmi’, “ashwangandha”, “mint”, “lemon grass”, “aloe vera” and “asparagus” within their homes and vacant areas to use them as herbal remedies for minor ailments.

The first phase of the programme will be put in operation with the help of select residents’ welfare associations in South Delhi and South-West Delhi, wherein medicinal plants grown at TERI’s Gual Pahari complex will be distributed at nominal cost to the residents through RWAs.

Addressing members of the RWAs, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said: “The Delhi Government is already in the process of developing biodiversity parks and a sprawling 170 acres has been allotted for the same near Dabur, on the outskirts of Delhi. Along with those, 17 new forest areas have been identified for growing medicinal and decorative plants. This initiative will not only revive the traditional medical system but also make a huge difference to Delhi’s environment.

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