Herbal medicine makes Uttarakhand rural women self-reliant
By ANIWednesday, January 27, 2010
NAINITAL - Uttarakhand women have formed a self-help group where they make and sell herbal medicine from the plants found in the forests around there.
Most of these women do not have any formal education or training but this group allows them to make an income.
It is a long process, which begins with collecting nirgundi (chaste tree) leaves, which is crushed into a paste.The paste is then mixed with water and cooked to make a herbal oil.
“First we take the juice out from the leaves, then we mix it with five glasses of oil and put one glass of oil in the water to cook it. We then put carom seeds in the mixture and after it settles in the pan, we put camphor in,” said Basvi Devi, a worker.
“Nirgundi (chaste tree) oil is good for aches and sprains. It’s also good for back pain. It also promotes natural sleep. This is what people use it for,” said Shipavali Devi, a woman worker.
They sell large bottles of Nirgundi (chaste tree) oil for 100 rupees while the smaller bottles go for 50 rupees
However, with local investment, the industry has potential for growth.
Along with these women, projects like this can also benefit the economies of rural India, which accounts for around 70 percent of country’s a billion populations. (ANI)
