Success is a mindgame
A memory drug developed by Indian scientists could hold the key to a ultimillion dollar global market
Losing jobs in the jungle
Irula tribals are rich in the knowledge of traditional medicine. They used to catch snakes and practise herbal medicine for a living. Today they …
Karanda: Rural India's rich fruit
Karanda is a versatile but under-exploited plant found throughout the dry regions of India. It is cultivated for its edible fruits in Rajasthan, …
Ayurveda offers remedy for failing memory
After yielding successful formulations like Liv. 52 and Guglip, Ayurveda now holds out promise of a new range of drugs to treat mental disorders.
The red tape vs Kanis
The forest department reserves the right to conserve arogyapacha, and prevents Kanis from selling it outside
The miracle-makers
Scientists are only now finding out the Kanis' knowledge of herbal remedies. The most outstanding find so far is arogyapacha
Thirst for profits rises as disease spreads
Even as AIDS spreads throughout the world, Australians are determined to get their share of the profits from the use of a shrub that halts …
Bringing better health to the Indian woman
Efforts are on to tackle the abysmal state of female health in India, especially among the poorer sections
In dubious battle
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has failed to curb illegal trade in Indian wildlife and wildlife products. …
Loss of the wild
Greed has taken a heavy toll on the wealth of herbs in India. Manufacturers of herbal products are cutting the very branch on which the industry …
Building bridges
Both allopathy and Indian systems of medicine can gain from each other, provided practitioners interact with an open mind
Perjury and other afflictions
While the market for herbal preparations is maturing, laws and regulations have failed to keep pace with it
'You cannot balance an economy by unbalancing human lives'
Development economist Sir Richard Jolly has been Principal Coordinator of UNDP's Human Development Report. He is also Chairman of the …
Tried and tested
Traditional medical and agricultural practices, usually dismissed as unscientific, are regaining favour, with some help from Honeybee -- a …
Bad Medicine
First there were the quacks. Then came the mass manufacturers of substandard herbal drugs and cosmetics. Cashing in on the goodwill of …
A multi-purpose plant
From providing cure for stomach ailments to being an antidote for poisoning , the Jatropha Curcas is priceless
Little boxes of herbs
SUMANA NARAYANAN finds a 125-year-old shop selling herbal medicines in the lanes of Chennai
How Adivasis of one Jharkhand village are trying to preserve ethnomedicine
With ‘civilisation’ and ‘modernity’ having made inroads into India’s tribal areas, its heritage of traditional …
Traditional cures back in vogue
Ancient health care systems such as ayurveda are gaining popularity once again as people become wary of allopathy and the hazards it involves.
In Mowgli's land
ANJOLI BANDYOPADHYAY visits Pench Tiger Reserve, the site of many a conservation scheme and finds the woes wrought upon the people there by …
"Forests are the main source of herbs"
Meghalaya's abundant flora is the basis of its traditional healthcare system. Now, rapid urbanisation and breakdown of the community structure …
The wealth of tradition
Vietnam has taken a keen interest in tradional medicine since its independence in 1954. In the war against colonial France and later the …
Hypothetical cure
Unlike allopathic medicines, Ayurvedic products are not clinically tested before they are introduced in the market. This raises doubts about …
Win one, lose many
India needs to have a hard look at the sources of all its varied traditional knowledge and how to protect them
Take Unani medicines seriously
HAKIM MOHAMMED KHALID SIDDIQUI, director of Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, New Delhi, tells VIBHA VARSHNEY that …