Turn Ayurvedic Knowledge Into Wealth

Ayurveda is the ancient science of treatment where various herbs are used to treat simple to complicated ailments. In the past, Ayurvedic treatment was accessible to both rich and poor alike to relieve their suffering. Thus, for centuries, Ayurveda was the most widely recognised traditional medical system for humans.  

The science of Ayurveda was successfully handed down from one generation to another, and in this way legacy of Ayurveda still lives on. However, in recent years, modern medical science has made tremendous progress and has come up with allopathic medications that provide much faster results than Ayurvedic treatment. Many patients turn to allopathic medicines for rapid pain relief, though this can lead to underestimating the risk of side effects.

Allopathic medication

Despite the rapid growth of modern allopathic medication, the treatment system of Ayurveda has once again become quite popular in recent years. The ayurvedic treatment has been successful in alleviating various types of ailments with no side effects. Even though ayurvedic treatment can cure many chronic diseases, regrettably, the effort being made to promote ayurvedic therapy in the country remains largely unsatisfactory and insufficient. 

Since no adequate initiative has ever been made to promote ayurvedic treatment in the country, a record of around 624 species of medicinal and aromatic plants, including precious manuscripts and traditional ayurvedic practices, are on the verge of fast disappearing. Over the past several years, due to a lack of proper initiation, the country has already lost its patent right to over 150 species of medicinal plants. 

Geographical set up and climatic conditions of the country have helped a great deal to grow a large number of ayurvedic plants, which have been used by Vaidhays (traditional healers) for generations. The Himalayan bend is the source of an estimated 10,000 species of medicinal plants; most of them are rare and found nowhere else in the world. There are many lifesaving medicines available in different parts of the Himalayas, which are being used to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the world. 

However, due to a lack of relevant technology, expertise, and government effort, many valuable herbs lie unused, which are yet to be identified. Still, we have to pay royalties for the use of many herbs found in many parts of the Himalayan and hilly regions. Many herbs have been regularly used by our traditional healers for ages, but sad to say that now their patent rights have been registered by foreigners. This is how we are gradually losing the patent rights of many of our precious medical plants. In other words, this is a direct economic loss for the country. 

Meanwhile, due to a lack of adequate technology and methods, it has not been possible to process many precious herbs in the country. As a result, every year we export more than 100 tonnes of herbs to India at a very low price, and in return, we buy tonnes of processed medicines at a very high price. In this way, the country is not only losing a precious stock of herbs, but our money is also being siphoned off to foreign countries. 

It is also true that many herbs available in many local areas, if managed properly, can create job opportunities among the rural populace. If our government takes the initiative to organise local people and give them technical knowledge, it could play a decisive role in poverty alleviation from rural Nepal. This is also possible for many Nepali farmers to grow herbs as a potent source of income along with agriculture and livestock farming. 

However, due to the absence of effective law and management in the use of life-saving herbs, many unscrupulous people are involved in the illegal trade of many extremely vulnerable herbs. As a consequence, now most of such herbs are on the brink of extinction. It is therefore very necessary on the part of the government authorities to take this issue with the required sense of urgency and seriousness. Hence, adequate steps should be taken to preserve and promote the scientific use of many herbs and medicinal plants. 

Infrastructure

Moreover, infrastructure expansion is utmost necessary so that all herbs left unused can be processed into lifesaving drugs. For this, all local communities, where herbs are found in plenty, must be made aware of the importance of herbs, so that local communities learn the safe handling of these resources that can go a considerable way to reduce rural poverty.

Since day by day, allopathic treatment has been going beyond the reach of ordinary people, it will be rational to promote the traditional treatment system in the country. Meanwhile, we must accept the fact that our knowledge of growing, storing, processing, and manufacturing the herbs into allopathic medicines is largely insufficient. So, it is the part of the government’s duty to take this matter seriously and put all possible efforts together to transform this ancient knowledge into wealth.

Not only is the preservation and growth of herbs necessary, but ancient copies of manuscripts confirming ayurvedic philosophy must be preserved and studied properly. The government must take relevant steps and promote ayurvedic treatment system in the country with no further delay.

(LB Thapa is a Pokhara-based writer. writerlbthapa@gmail.com)