The Meghalaya government is roping in several organisations to help scientifically validate the efficacy of the indigenous medicinal plants and to help bridge the critical gaps existing in the traditional healthcare system in the state.
"We are working with government organisations, universities, non-governmental organisations and R&D institutions to help local traditional healers document and validate their practices, propagate cultivation of medicinal plants and their proper storage apart from exploring possibilities of value addition to the products," Bio-Resource Development Centre member secretary Dr B D R Tiwari told PTI at the sideline of a traditional healers meet here.
Specifically well-known organisations such as Kerala-based Santhigiri Ashram and others were roped in to assist the government in its mission to help make traditional medicines and healing system function in an organised manner.
This approach to validate would in turn open different opportunities to the local community including livelihood, culture and conservation, Tiwari said.
A member of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board and head of the Santhigiri Ashram, Swami Padmapraksha, had also conducted tours in all the districts and met with traditional healers.
Summing up, Swami Padmapraksha observed "There was no proper structure and proper standardisation and harmonisation of medicines. There is also no platform for the healers to speak and share their problems."
He noted that one of the major problems identified was different healers practice differently even as the government and his team have taken medicinal plant samples for testing to his parent Ashram in Kerala.
In Meghalaya, traditional knowledge related to the use of medicinal plants has also provided leads for validation of their efficacy against various diseases and ailments.
Scientific validations have been carried out by the North Eastern Hill University in the last few years.
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