Our Correspondent
Diphu, Oct.9 (EMN): A one-day workshop on awareness and documentation of food and medicinal plant resources in the Karbi food system was organised by Northeastern Institute of Ayurveda & Folk Medicine Research, Arunachal Pradesh, in collaboration with Chingrum Self Help Group (SHG) Longki Timung village, Diphu and Terang CLF and Borlangpher cluster, at Longki Timung village on October 8.
During the workshop, around 37 women folks from Longki Timung village and nearby villages brought various types of herbs, wild vegetables/ medicinal plants to display and understand their uses.
Altogether 97 types of medicinal plants and their uses were identified during the seminar.
The seminar was presided over by Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Tribal Cultural Research Officer (TCRO), Dilip Kathar.
The resource person, director, Northeastern Institute of Ayurveda & Folk Medicine Research, Dr. Robindra Teron, said that since time immemorial and before the development of allopathic medicine, the Karbis were directly or indirectly dependent on wild herbs as medicine.
Dr. Teron also said at present due to the advancement of modern medicine, people have slowly forgotten the name of the medicinal plants/herbs and their uses.
He observed that Karbi people are presently not eating or taking medicinal plants/herbs and instead of preserving the plants, they are cutting them down and selling the plants/herbs in the market.
Teron underscored the need to preserve and promote herbs and plants which have medicinal properties.
During the seminar, a names of wild herbs/vegetables and cultivated vegetables were also identified.