Keralas Ginseng Project Grounded By Forest Officials

A unique project to cash in on a wonder plant, which was once used only by tribals in the hilly pockets of Kerala, has run into trouble after the forest officials stopped the tribespeople from growing and transporting the plant.

The wonder plant is arogyapacha (trichopus zelayanicus), the Indian answer to Koreans massive export earner ginseng, an energy and vitality enhancer. The pilot project, initiated by the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI) here, aimed to expand cultivation to 5,000 acres in the next few years and help bring prosperity to the 5,000 families in tribal settlement across the western hills.

But the forest department is now playing spoilsport by enforcing provisions of the Kerala Forest Act of 1961 and the Wild Life Act which stipulate that removal of any produce from reserve forests without permission is illegal.

Touted as the worlds first experiment in helping local people earn money for their indigenous knowledge systems, the TBGRI project was being keenly watched by scientists and sociologists in several countries. Researchers from London had come down to the state to study various aspects of the novel programme. Research is currently on in London on the TBGRI model of benefit sharing, according to sources at the institute. Adhering to the Convention of Biological Diversity ratified by 141 nations, the TBGRI had made it clear that benefits derived out of the use of the biodiversity or the indigenous knowledge associated with it would be shared with the tribals.

When the licence for manufacturing herbal plant product was issued to the Coimbatore-based Aryavaidya Pharmacy, it was stipulated that 50 per cent of the licence fee and 50 per cent royalty would go to the Kani tribals who would cultivate and supply the plants to the pharmacy.

It was the Kani tribals that first brought the plant, which has immunity enhancing and fatigue fighting properties, to the notice of the TBGRI scientists. The Aryavaidya Pharmacy which had entered into a contract with the state government for the production and marketing of the new herbal drug called Jeevani for seven years, has now virtually stopped producing the drug for want of the vital raw material.

The Forest Departments swoop on the plant producers came even as the pharmacy was struggling to meet a Rs 1 million (about $25,640) order from Indonesia. It had already paid Rs 35,000 (about $897) to the TBGRI from the sale of Jeevani in the first four months after production began.

G G Gangadharan of Aryavaidya pharmacy says they have been placed in an unenviable position. We are in a fix, with two wings of the same government operating in different directions. In the process, our licence, for which we have already paid, has been virtually nullified. We had also made heavy investments after obtaining the licence. Now we are being forced to consider legal options, he says.

A top forest official says the department has to go by the Wild Life Act passed by Parliament which states that tribals are allowed to collect only six species of plants for their bona fide use. Arogyapacha does not belong to any of the stipulated species.

TBGRI director P Pushpamgadan says the forest departments move came as a shock to the scientists and sociologists who have been monitoring the progress of the experimental scheme. He, however, expressed the hope that the current difficulties could be overcome. I am absolutely sure that the nation and the tribals, in particular, will benefit remarkably from this plant, he said.

The plant was a chance discovery by a team of TBGRI scientists who went on a trek of the mountainous forests of Agasthyar Hills in December 1987 as part of an ethno-medical survey. While climbing some steep mountains, most of the team members were exhausted but, to their surprise, the Kani tribals guiding them remained very energetic, alert and agile. They were found to be munching at some small black fruits.

They told the scientists that they were eating the unripe fruits of arogyapacha (greener of health) on which one could live for days together without any other food and still remain energetic. If one ate the fruits regularly, one remained ever healthy, agile and young, they claimed.

A young tribesman offered the scientists a few fruits which tasted like almonds. What surprised the scientists, however, was the sudden flush of energy and strength gained by them.

The tribesmen were initially reluctant to reveal the identity of the fruit, claiming it was a sacred tribal secret. They said their traditional herbal practices were part of the knowledge imparted to their ancestors by sage Agasthya, the founder of the Siddha system of medicine. The Agashtyar Hills, named after the sage, are believed to have been his abode. After much persuasion, the tribals revealed the name of the plant and even showed it to the scientists.

The TBGRI researchers subsequently identified the plant as Trichopus Zeylanicus Gaertn of the family of Dioscoreaceae. A critical survey of the Ayurveda classics suggested that the plant might be the divine Varahi described by saint Sushruta in his ancient compilations.

The intensive research that followed convinced the scientists that the plant had tonic effects, including immunity enhancing and stamina giving properties. Simultaneously, the institute had taken up mass cultivation of the plant as a pilot project. Fifty tribal families took part in the initial stages of cultivation, covering 300 acres of land.