Army Wives? Welfare Association (AWWA) president Renu Bhardwaj inspects a plant during a lecture on herbal plantation at Namkum in Ranchi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Aug. 24: About 400 army wives got a taste of the age-old ayurveda medicines and herbs from the city?s expert on this age-old cure system Suresh Kumar Aggarwal.

As part of the ongoing Army Wives? Welfare Association (AWWA) week, these women also got tips on ayurvedic medicines and how it can be a substitute to allopathic cure.

During his lecture, Aggarwal said in present times, doctors prescribe three to four types of allopathic medicines for curing one ailment.

Instead of that, one can easily rely on ayurveda, which is cheaper and more effective than their allopathic counterparts, noted Aggarwal and added that if that was not enough, these medicinal plants can also be planted in ones own backyard.

He further said that while the use of ayurveda has been going on for along time, people have started waking up to its uses only lately.

?There have been many ayurvedic medicines, used in our day to day lives. Take the example of Tulsi. It is considered and also has many healing qualities. Although scientists have started research work on these only now, the medicines have been in use for a long time,? Aggarwal pointed out.

Stressing that women have been responsible, traditionally, for looking after their family?s health, he added, ?They are considered to be caring and that is why they should add to their knowledge the knowledge of these herbal plants and also methods of taking care of family members. They (women) can empower themselves through this.?

The lecture session comes in the wake of the inauguration of a herbal orchid at the Dipatoli Cantonment recently.

The orchid was inaugurated to bring awareness, inculcate ideas and increase the use of herbal plants among the families and among all the ranks in the cantonment.

Altogether, about 11 varieties of herbal plants such as Shatawar, Amrita, Aloe Vera, Purnawa, Brahmi, Kalmegh, Harshingar, Pipali, Asak, Mui Awala and Mandukaparani.

Aggarwal also briefed the women about the different uses of the herbs and the different diseases it can help cure.

Amrita, which is a creeper, Aggarwal maintained, was the only herb which could cater to about six to seven types of diseases such as jaundice, acute cirrhosis of lever, hyper-acidity, chronic fever and many such other diseases.

This stems juice could be consumed for treatment and there would be no side effects, reassured Aggarwal.

The ladies present at the occasion expressed their surprise when Aggarwal briefed about the plants and its uses.