Rare medicinal plants in Nrusingnath.Telegraph picture

Sambalpur, Aug. 28: Researchers recently discovered four rare medicinal plants on Gandhamardan hill.

The team, which identified the plants, has preserved them in the Lumbini Vesaja Uddyana (botanical garden) of the Sri Nrusinghanath Ayurveda College and Research Institute in Nrusinghanath of Bargarh district.

“The plants are Jivaka (Malaxis acuminate), Rishbhaka (Malaxis muscifrea), Riddhi (Habenaria edgeworthii) and Vriddhi (Habenaria intermedia),” said Pareswar Sahu, research assistant in Sri Nrusinghanath Aurveda College and Research Institute of Nrusinghanath and a member of the team.

“These plants have high medicinal value. They are normally found in the Himalayan mountain range and grow in microclimate only. Agragami Biodiversity Cell, an organisation of researchers, identified these plants. We have preserved them in the botanical garden of the ayurveda college in Nrusinghanath,” said Sahu.

“There are so many plants in the Gandhamardan hill with high medicinal value. The government should take initiative to preserve and protect these rare plants. Moreover, life saving medicines could be prepared out of these plants. If the plants are protected then it would be of great help to the human civilisation,” opined he.

Chittaranjan Sahu, medical Officer in Nrusinghnath Ayurveda College, said: “These four plants come under the Astavarga, which has been mentioned in Charaka Sanhita. According to Charaka Sanhita, there are eight plants that have high medicinal value and life saving potential. These eight plants are called Astavarga. These four plants are among those eight.”

“The experts of Agragami Biodiversity Cell with the help of the botany department of Panchayat College in Bargarh identified these plants,” said Surendra Hota, co-ordinator of Agragami Biodiversity Cell of Bargarh.

“Earlier, a rare animal Eublepharis Hardwickii was found on this hill. The government should take initiative to preserve this hill,” said Hota.

“As per the Botanical Survey of India, 256 rare plants are found in Gandhamardan hill. These plants need to be protected. We have been demanding to declare it as a botanical garden so that the valuable medicinal plants can be protected,” said Pradeep Purohit, advisior of Gandhamardan Surakshya Yuva Parishad.

“We have also given a memorandum to the chief minister to this effect,” he said.