Date:06/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/06/stories/2008110651230500.htm

Karnataka

‘Preserve traditional medicine’

Staff Correspondent

DAVANGERE: There are many rare medicinal plant species in Sri Lanka, which can be used to treat various diseases. Sri Lanka is giving these rare plants to India and is importing many rare plants in return, a delegation of practising doctors in Sri Lanka has said.

The five-member delegation was here to participate in a group study and exchange programme on Wednesday.

Ashoka Kumara Karunarathna, Executive Director of the Institute of Community Healthcare, and Chandrasena Withanarachchi, who is working with the Chandrasena Ayurveda Medical Centre in Ganemulla in Sri Lanka, told journalists that the Government of Sri Lanka had taken steps to protect indigenous medical practices and plants.

Many hills in Sri Lanka had been converted into herbal parks where many medicinal plants were being grown, they said.

From fractured bones to snake bites, effective treatment was being given to people at a nominal cost in villages and rural places there, Mr. Kumara said.

Large numbers of people were being trained in indigenous medicine through the Gurukula system. Over 1,400 in plants Sri Lanka had been identified as being of medicinal value in and those such as Vanaraja, Eruraja and Cocum had tremendous curative powers, he added. Quoting a study, Mr. Kumara said that over 60 per cent of the Sri Lankan people depended on indigenous medicine.

Nerlige Gurusiddappa, president of the Karnataka Paramparika Vidya Parishat, said there were 7,000 plant species across the globe that had medicinal value and most countries had realised the importance of traditional medicine.