Forest Dept takes Dashmool project forward but minus the phytochemical laboratory

For the second consecutive year, the state Forest Department has embarked on a tree plantation mission under the Centre's five-year Dashmool ten roots project.

For the second consecutive year, the state Forest Department has embarked on a tree plantation mission under the Centre8217;s five-year Dashmool ten roots project. The drive has been launched as the Medicinal Plant Board, Government of India, sanctioned Rs 5 crore to encourage medicinal herbs plantation.

Ironically, even as the Department aims to create a market of medicinally important Dashmool concoction for pharmacists, the foresters do not have any account of phytochemical chemical contents present in the plants contents present in the roots of these herbs. The exact amount of phytochemical elements is important to show the quality standards of medicinal important herbs thereby facilitating to create an individual market of the product.

Responding to a query on the method undertaken to find out the exact phytochemical contents in the herb roots, R V Asari, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, said: 8220;The foresters don8217;t have that information. It is the work of the pharmacists to find out the extent of medicinal contents in the plants.8221; He added that the Forest Department8217;s main aim is to popularise the raw materials of Dashmool among the forest dwellers.

Forest officials have been planting 10 medicinal plants whose roots have medicinal importance in the Valsad and Surat forest circles for the last one year. Interestingly, the basic initiatives that should be taken to create a market for the medicinal plants seem to be missing.

Seeking anonymity, some forest officials said that though the Dashmool project has been taken up, there is no phytochemical laboratory available with the Department as of now.

Refusing to comment on the availability of phytochemical laboratory, he said, 8220;There should be initiatives to find out the compounds in the roots which are medicinally important. The institutes can approach the Forest Department on this issue.8221;

He further said: 8220;Ayurvedic scriptures show that Dashmool has medicinal importance and they are useful in toning systems.8221; Asari said the project aims at availing raw materials of Dashmool in the forest areas for pharmaceutical companies. 8220;We are conducting workshops to rope in more pharmacists in this project,8221; he said.

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Dashmool is an amalgam of roots of 10 different plants, used as an analgesic and also for treating migraine.