In Mowgli's land
ANJOLI BANDYOPADHYAY visits Pench Tiger Reserve, the site of many a conservation scheme and finds the woes wrought upon the people there by …
Pickle, tea and a spice
Weeds of fortune
Dying practice
Lack of medicinal plants forces village doctors out of trade
A green company in a grey market
There was a time when Payinthulasi, a 40-year old herb gatherer of village Utchananthal in Virudunagar district of Tamil Nadu, had to trudge to …
Hypothetical cure
Unlike allopathic medicines, Ayurvedic products are not clinically tested before they are introduced in the market. This raises doubts about …
On the Edge
In Vietnam, an astonishing array of species, some never before encountered by humans, are being threatened by deforestation and an illegal trade …
Win one, lose many
India needs to have a hard look at the sources of all its varied traditional knowledge and how to protect them
Charming no more
The saperas (snake-charmers) of Delhi loive in a unique colony called Mollarbandhgaon. This community, located next to the Badarpur thermal power …
Textile therapy
A handloom trader experiments with traditional medicinal herbs for dyeing garments
The inside story
Bad health is good business. The pharmaceutical industry knows that. But now bad health is turning out to be good business for the food industry …
Super Market
Secretive. Exploitative. Is the market in Minor Forest Produce unmanageable? sopan joshi finds out
Non-profit diseases
There is a logic to the idea of neglected diseases. Historically the diseases poor people get--largely in the poorer parts of the world--haven't …
An amla a day
Keeps the doctor away
In dubious battle
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has failed to curb illegal trade in Indian wildlife and wildlife products. …
Dangerous make-up
A warning against indiscriminate selling and buying in a new fad: herbal drugs
Common sense about common salt
In earlier times, a mixture of salt, herbs and spices or a simple dose of salt by itself was considered a prime cure for a range of illnesses.
Kani vs Kani
Kanis are dragged into bureaucratic wrangling, pitting them against each other
The red tape vs Kanis
The forest department reserves the right to conserve arogyapacha, and prevents Kanis from selling it outside
The miracle-makers
Scientists are only now finding out the Kanis' knowledge of herbal remedies. The most outstanding find so far is arogyapacha
Loss of the wild
Greed has taken a heavy toll on the wealth of herbs in India. Manufacturers of herbal products are cutting the very branch on which the industry …
Building bridges
Both allopathy and Indian systems of medicine can gain from each other, provided practitioners interact with an open mind
Perjury and other afflictions
While the market for herbal preparations is maturing, laws and regulations have failed to keep pace with it
The wealth of tradition
Vietnam has taken a keen interest in tradional medicine since its independence in 1954. In the war against colonial France and later the …
Tough trial
Can Indian traditional medicines transfer their ancient efficacy to the modern era?