Cultivation medicinal plants

The Asset Manager and Executive Director Debasish Sanyal, General Manager (HR) Rajiv Kumar Sarma on Monday inaugurated the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Herbal Garden, which is designed by retired Chief Geologist Dr BK Mukharjee. Speaking on this occasion, executive director Sanyal said that due to ruthless exploitation, many important medicinal plant species are becoming rare and some of them are critically endangered.

“The extinction of these important plant species could be an irreplaceable loss,” he added. According to Dr Mukharjee, as per 2008 IUCN Red list, the number of threatened plant species is increasing gradually and therefore, there is an immediate need for conservation steps to be taken up along with promotion of conservation of medicinal plants.

The initiative was taken up by Dr BK Mukherjee, who has been conducting research on medicinal plants for the last 6-7 years. The most important and rare and endangered medicinal plants among the 100 varieties that were planted in the first phase are plants for cancer cure.

“Cancer is the second major cause of death after cardiovascular disease. About 60 per cent of cancer medicines are derived from plants for which alkaloid camptothecin is being extracted,” he added. He said that they have planted Lemon and Clove Basils (Tulsi), which is not available in any of the nurseries or gardens in India.

Other medicinal plants at the garden are used for cures of Abution indicum (Hindi-Kanghi, Telugu-Tutturu bendi)-a root useful as tonic with pure milk or pure ghee, honey in empty stomach. ONGC recognised union leaders Krishnam Raju, Suresh and denior Communications Manager Jameel Pasha and other officials were present on this occasion.