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Vinson Kurian

The society proposes to undertake cultivation of medicinal plants in a hundred households in the Balaramapuram region on a promotional basis.

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Thiruvananthapuram Feb. 11 A path-breaking re-orientation programme for cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants and its dissemination submitted by the Handloom Weavers Development Society (HLWDS) in Balaramapuram has been awaiting State Government approval for more than a year.

The society has famously pioneered the manufacture of `Ayur Vastra', the wonder fabric dipped in herbal dyes with therapeutic properties. Ayur Vastra is finding a growing market within the country as well as abroad.

Popularisation of Ayurvedic systems of treatment in India and abroad has created tremendous demand for Ayurvedic medicinal plants, say Mr K. Rajan, Mr K. Komala Kumaran and Mr Satheesh Kumar of HLWDS. The Ayur Vastra revolution has helped further accelerate this growth in demand.

This has ultimately resulted in wanton destruction and over exploitation of medicinal plant stock and associated eco-systems, which are now in short supply. It is in this background that the society proposed a novel and innovative medicinal plant cultivation and promotion programme back in 2005.

Developed under the guidance of scientists and development experts, the programme is sought to be popularised and generate employment and income generating opportunities (including women empowerment) through cultivation and promotion of medicinal plants.

The society has a fairly long history of using the traditional knowledge of colouring cloth materials with natural dyes, mostly of plant origin. Now it is the process of consolidating the experimental and research endeavours aimed at evolving new natural dyes, developing an exclusive databank, processing raw dyes as finished natural dyes and a mixture of different dyes to develop new colours. The society proposes to undertake cultivation of medicinal plants in a hundred households in the Balaramapuram region on a promotional and propagation basis. Propagules collected from the wild/homestead gardens in the form of seeds, stem/root cuttings, and suckers will be used in raising the required saplings.

After necessary soil preparation, the saplings will be planted in a systematic manner to form a scientifically and aesthetically developed conservatory. The target species will be labelled (with their scientific and local/trade names, the dyes collected and their virtues) and nurtured in the field through regular watering, manuring and other nursery care. Organic mode of nurturing the sapling will be preferred in the nursery.

More Stories on : Floriculture | Alternative Medicines | Kerala

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