Visakhapatnam :
Chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s new proposal to set up an integrated botanical garden (IBG) in Araku Valley in the district has drawn good response. Experts on Ayurveda medicine and pharmaceutical sectors lauded the state government’s initiative and expressed confidence that the IBG would generate good revenue and employment opportunities.
Chandrababu Naidu, during his two-day visit recently, directed Visakhapatnam collector N Yuvaraj to study and plan to set up the IBG at Araku in association with the Ayurvedic Board. There are a large number of medicinal plants, shrubs, barks, roots and creepers in and around North Andhra region, especially in the agency and forest pockets.
Some of the Ayurveda medicine manufacturing companies pay the tribals and deploy their staff to collect some rare medicinal plants and leaves from the agency areas. The Andhra University pharmaceutical department, on its own, had conducted a study on the medicinal plants and their history in North Andhra region, and found that a large number of tribals still use Ayurvedic medicines, prepared by themselves, for curing several diseases.
“There are a huge number of medicinal plants in the region. There are plants which have commercial value. For example there is ‘Bixa Orrellana’ from which a powder ‘Bixin’ compound is prepared. The compound is used in the textile industry for colour combinations. The chief minister’s proposal is a very good idea,” said S Ganapathy, former professor of Andhra University and current principal of GITAM Institute of Pharmacy.
Meanwhile, during the past one decade, the usage of Ayurvedic medicines has increased. Ayurvedic medical shops have also registered good sales.
“Ayurveda is seeing a rise not only in health-related medicines, but also in beauty parlour products, dental care and hair fall etc., Special medicines for alcoholic addiction are also manufactured from several medicinal plants and herbs. The Araku and Paderu dense forest areas are the best places to set up an integrated botanical garden. The IBG should be set up with an aim to promote academic research and commercial sales of the products,” K Yamuna, an Ayurvedic doctor and owner of an Ayurvedic medicine shop, opined.
An integrated medicinal plant is a welcome move by the government and there is good scope for developing the existing botanical garden at Araku as the nearby areas are suitable for cultivation of medicinal plants, Prof Ganapathy said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indina Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by VKL Gayatri / August 12th, 2014