Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute (BMARI) is cultivating 50 Endangered medicinal herbs

The Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute (BMARI) is cultivating 50 varieties of medicinal herbs which are on the verge of extinction, said senior research scientist Dr Piyal Marasinghe.

Fifty Ayurvedic herb varieties which have been identified are being grown at the Ayurveda Department gardens to be distributed to farmers at a reasonable price for further propagation.

"There are two main problems that we face when producing Ayurvedic medicines."

Acts protecting the environment such as Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance is one such, he said. "It's true that we should protect the environment. But to produce medicine we need to have various parts from plants and animals," he said. "The other main problem is the shortage of medicinal plants." Some medicinal herbs are so rare and difficult to find," he said.

He pointed out that this new program initiated on the advice and with the support of Indigenous Medicine Minister Salinda Dissanayake is a very good solution to both these situations.

Venivalgata, Kothala Himbutu, Masbadda, Kokun, Duhudu, Vanaraja, Iraraja and Sadaraja are some of the herbs that are being cultivated under this program. Medicinal plants such as Malta, Amukkara, Siripetku and Katuwelbatu (Himalayan Plants) which are imported will also be grown.

Furthermore, school awareness programs on the biodiversity of Sri Lanka are being held around the country to provide children a knowledge about the environment as well as medicinal plants.

The School Medicinal plant garden is another program that we have introduced in schools to make children more aware about Ayurvedic medicines.

He pointed out that all these programs will be beneficial on the long-term, to make Sri Lanka a rich country, a country for nature studies for foreigners and a country with a developed indigenous medicine system.

Source:Daily News