Kerala - Thrissur   

From hillock to herbal garden

THRISSUR: People trekked up Vilangankunnu, a beautiful hillock located about 5 km from the city, on Friday on a novel mission. They planted 200 ‘Asoka’ tree saplings, an endangered species, on the hillock.

The afforestation drive, organised by Oushadhi, the government-run ayurvedic pharmaceutical corporation, the District Tourism Promotion Council and the Adattu grama panchayat, was aimed at transforming the hillock into a herbal garden. “In view of the shortage of medicinal plants, Oushadhi has been promoting cultivation of the Asoka,” said K.S. Rajithan, Superintendent of Oushadhi.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) describes the species as ‘globally vulnerable.’ “The bark of the tree has high medicinal value. It is used in the treatment of genitor-urinary disorders in women and in medicines for curing fever, visceromegaly, piles, ulcers, menorrgagia, leucorrhoea and pimples,” he said.

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