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 …

"Forests are the main source of herbs"

Meghalaya's abundant flora is the basis of its traditional healthcare system. Now, rapid urbanisation and breakdown of the community structure …

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 …

Hypothetical cure

Unlike allopathic medicines, Ayurvedic products are not clinically tested before they are introduced in the market. This raises doubts about …

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

Take Unani medicines seriously

HAKIM MOHAMMED KHALID SIDDIQUI, director of Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, New Delhi, tells VIBHA VARSHNEY that …

The wisdom of indigenous healers

Medicinal Plants of India - Vols I & II S K Jain and Robert A DeFillips Publisher: Reference Publications Price: US $94.95

Disappearing tree

An evergreen tree found only in Africa is on the verge of extinction because of large-scale stripping of its bark

EU to stop import of herbal products

By May 2003, the European Council was supposed to have reached a consensus on a directive that seeks to regulate the supply of herbal products in …

Highs and lows

The government's vanaspati van scheme is good news, but for it to succeed small-scale farmers and local communities have to be brought in its fold

Grow more

There is no land to cultivate medicinal plants, neither are there any legal provisions, nor market access. At present, the risks involved are …

A Himalayan Tragedy

People who have no idea about forests step in to further trade, while the indigenous herb gatherers get exploited further

Herbal heist

Hand-in-glove with the forest department, traders of medicinal plants and herbs make hay while communities who depend on herb gathering for …

Super Market

Secretive. Exploitative. Is the market in Minor Forest Produce unmanageable? sopan joshi finds out

COVID-19 shows the world needs physicians who can look beyond medical charts

COVID-19 has placed a spotlight on the field of social medicine. It has done so by showing up inherent injustices in society

Website review: www.nandiniherbs.com

With contributions from various sections of the herbal industry, this interactive site will fill up the void in giving this sector a big boost. …

Break the Deadlock

In 1995, many in India were outraged to learn that a university in the US was granted a patent to make and sell haldi (turmeric) for its wound …

"There can be no development without women"

REACHING Doongri, a picturesque village perched 1,750 m above sea level in the Pindar valley in Chamoli district, is a daunting task. The nearest …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Predicting the future

A severe shortage of medicinal plants and herbs threatens ISM. Cultivation may be the only way out. But currently medicinal plants that are …