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

Biobusiness

A sip of earthy flavour

Anantamool tea is more than a refresher for the farmers of Vidarbha

Back where it belongs

India emerges victorious from a legal wrangle with the US over the patenting of neem

Follow Up

Tribal women in Chattisgarh beat the poverty trap with fortunes from traditional medicines

Himalayan herbal heritage fading

Forest produce in Western Ghats suffer mystery infection

Peepal power

The Baiga tribe in Madhya Pradesh never misses the opportunity to savour the tender leaves of peepal

Relish history

Rich in its mythological antecedents, the prickly pear has many medicinal merits

Intoxicatingly delicious

With increasing urbanisation and changing food habits, very few people are aware of the mahua fruit and its oil, let alone its health benefits

The eco tree

Many tribal communities consume semal because of its medicinal properties. Others worship the tree. A clan of the Bhil tribe in Rajasthan …

Fruity twist to grandma's tale

The country fig can pass off as any other wild fruit. Little can one guess it has a cluster of fibrous flowers inside, loaded with prebiotic …

Textile therapy

A handloom trader experiments with traditional medicinal herbs for dyeing garments

Sri Lanka bans export of high-value medicinal plant

Mushrooms shield body from radiation

A bushful of medicine

Seabuckthorn, a plant with numerous medicinal properties, grows wild in India. Rural communities are the losers

On the wild side

Residents of Garhwal swear by the taste and health benefits of a lesser known vegetable

Guggal faces sticky end

Ayurveda prescribes it for heart ailments; no data available on surviving plants

Forestland benefits

Under the Lok Vaniki scheme, a farmer can extract benefits from his land by selling its produce, including timber

Herbs to heal cattle

In the absence of veterinary services, traditional medical practices for treating livestock remain popular in tribal villages

Blossoms with benefits

Heti flower adds variety to cooking when few options are available just before the harvest season in Maharashtra

Paradise under fire

The beautiful Valley of Flowers, known for its flower diversity and fecundity, is caught in a strange controversy over ban on grazing

The secret gardens of Malabar

An English translation has been made exactly 300 years after the Hortus Malabricus was written, new, sinister designs seem to lurking behind it - …

Global Eco Watch: Major ecological happenings of the week (July 1 – July 7)

Down To Earth brings you the top happenings in the world of global ecology