Touch that heals trees
A village killed its forest then revived it with herbal therapy
Simple herbal cures can bring trees back to life. Kamleshwar Nath believes. He has been healing trees in Sonebhadra district of Uttar Pradesh for 20 years now. The task before Baba, as the 55-year-old is called, is to save the forest in his village, Nagwa. Baba's remedy, said the villagers, saves trees from termite attacks and from drying up; even stubs of felled trees bear shoots. "I prepare a paste using multani mitti (Indian Fullers earth), bark of trees like babul (acacia) and mango, leaves of neem, herbs like hadjor (Cissus quadrangularis)and mix it with cow dung and urine," said Baba as he walked to a nearby forest patch.
The forest mostly comprises sidha (benteak), jamun and khair (black cutch) trees."Most trees in the forest have multiple trunks.
Grind herbs to paste, mix with cow dung, urine | |
A portion of the paste is applied on the stub | |
Rest is spread on a jute cloth, tightly bandaged to the stub | |
Tree absorbs the mix, while the jute cloth decomposes |
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