At a time when traditional Indian systems of medicine are critically affected by the non availability of herbs, the country is losing its medicinal wealth to well organised smuggling networks. Government policies with a blind eye for domestic trade have m

Once the trap is set, the tribal people can only go deeper into the forest to repay their loans and fill the coffers of agents, traders and forest officials

Hand-in-glove with the forest department, traders of medicinal plants and herbs make hay

People who have no idea about forests step in to further trade, while the indigenous herb gatherers get exploited further

A severe shortage of medicinal plants and herbs threatens

There is no land to cultivate medicinal plants, neither are there any legal provisions, nor market access. At present, the risks involved are too high for small scale farmers to opt for cultivation of medicinal plants and herbs

The government s vanaspati van scheme is good news, but for it to succeed small scale farmers and local communities have to be brought in its fold

Irula tribals are rich in the knowledge of traditional medicine. They used to catch snakes and practise herbal medicine for a living. Today they have had to abandon their traditional occupation as wildlife laws do not permit it