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| Saturday, 7 August 2004 |
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Posting guard over our healing plants by Carl Muller
Already, there are well over 200 firms that are pursuing the manufacture of drugs from plants. They strip the resources of the undeveloped and developing countries and deny these the benefits of what they develop. Recent newspapers have carried many stories and features of the new aspects of traditional medicines, plants and their healing properties and how scientists are discovering more and more such plant species. This is nothing new. For centuries, "medicine men" and women branded as witches knew of the plants of woodland and forest that cured fevers, snakebite and spasms. Herbal poultices and other plant-extract applications were so efficacious, that people flocked to these healers; and our own ayurvedic physicians are also of such repute. The oils and pattus are so effective that they pose a challenge to the "white man's" medicines. Nature's secrets are much touted today and both the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries are going herbal with a vengeance. The secrets of the plants Western pharmaceutical firms want to learn of the secrets of the plants. These companies know full well that soon large extends of forest will disappear forever. Man and his concrete will make the world most unstable. The race is now on, and the sudden recognition of "native" medicines has started a research boom.
Nature, it seems, can help us to produce drugs that could treat anything - from influenza to cancer! In this country, traditional herbal medicines involve a vast range of plants. At an ayurvedic centre I was told that, considering demand here and in our neighbouring countries, there are two-fifths of the people who can only afford "native" medicine. The picture here is somewhat different. Even the very poor seem to place their trust in the hands of western medicine and every state and private hospital is crowded - the rich in the latter, the poor aswarm in the former. It is only the totally impecunious that resort to native healing, while there is yet another large group that use both forms of medicine because it feels that there can be no harm in a bottle of western medicine for a skin allergy and also bathing the affected area in a tepid infusion of nidikumba. Yet, our herbalists and native doctors continue to thrive and they seem to know of an amazing range of plants, seeds, tubers, roots and twigs that are used to cure ailments. Also, our forests and woodlands, also shrub lands, are a treasure trove of herbal and medicinal plants. To this day, western medicine has investigated only one percent of the world's 250,000 known plant species. As is known, plants are prolific chemical factories - so complex that even Western scientists find them hard to analyse. One plant can make up to 600 different compounds. Today, however, with modern medical technology, the rush has begun. SmithKline Beecham are said to screen plants now in bulk for their therapeutic possibilities. Necessary molecules are quickly isolated and their curative properties tested. Today, companies commission "ethnobotanists" to travel, find and send back plants - especially those used by native doctors, for analysis. Civilization can wipe out plant medicine The problem is that civilization can also wipe out plant medicine. More and more species are being destroyed in the mad rush to raze the earth for farms, buildings and industrial ventures. Many plant samples are also being taken away in bulk by the West and grown on special farms. It may sound a heartless sort of business, but it is also so obvious that the West will keep stripping the developing and poorer countries of their plant life in order to develop profitable drugs for the ailments of the rich - ailments such as heart disease and ulcers - but not for Third World killers like parasites and fevers. We need to crash down on the rape of our own plant life. We are sitting top one of the most diverse environments and the only thing that would be of benefit is that the government promote low-tech local preservation and research into our plant resources. In this way, besides Western drugs, our people can also have the "native" medicines they can afford. We may find it hard to compete in the international market, but look at India. How much do we bring in from India by way of drugs and medicines? Our own concerted research will also encourage large medicinal plant farms. I am told that if tropical medicine is developed to this full potential, it could add $900 billion a year to Third World economies! Leaves of the strawberry One native doctor in Nuwara Eliya told me that hardly anybody takes notice of the leaves of the strawberry. "These are a soothing herb," he said. "Leaves and roots stimulate the liver and have a general soothing effect. I prescribe strawberry leaf tea for intestinal catarrh." Casting around, I see that our villagers also possess much knowledge of the medicinal efficacy of plants. One very old woman had much to tell about the Ma-Duru (fennel) we use in our kitchens. She said it was a long tradition in her family to take Ma-Duru to enrich the milk of nursing mothers. It was also used for inflammation of the eyes, watery eyes, and for improving eyesight. "We squeeze the roots after boiling and make a drink. Very good for the stomach and the chest." She also tells me she will never go to a Western doctor. She is not taken in by lots of coloured pills and capsules. She is more confident using the real plants that have sustained and treated her family for generations. "If the man comes home, head aching, giddy, too much working in the hot sun, we give mukunuwenna boiled with little jaggery, from three cups to one cup, like soup. Good for giddiness. Children have worms - have panu-habarala, no?" An ayurvedic doctor nodded. "Yes, panu-habarala is good. Especially for ringworm." New herbal hunger Why are we not considering the propagation of such an amazing range of forest plant species that can become our own medicinal market leader? With the new herbal hunger that can scarcely be appeased, especially in the West, this island can become a leading supplier of scientifically prepared tonics, tisanes, packeted dried-leaf, root extracts, preserved tubers, vines, etc. etc. A huge programme of sustainable medicinal plant farming needs to be launched where we will not over-exploit but maintain cycles of growth and harvesting. Packaging and marketing must also be of high quality and promotion supported by medical findings. We have a mid-elevation plant called Meda-hangu from which our villagers extract a juice that is a superb expectorant in bronchitis. Kon-oil is not being touted here for its medicinal properties. Why not? In the West it is known as Macassar Oil and is much in demand. How much Kon have we growing here and how much seed can be harvested? Any native doctor will list the medicinal properties of this oil. Indian Liquorice Olinda is known in India as Indian Liquorice. The juice of the leaves is a blood purifier. In Ayurveda, a decoction of the roots is given for sore throat and rheumatism. Leaf infusions make effective eye-baths, especially in cases of conjunctivitis. The leaf juice is also used to treat ulcers and sores. Our villagers use the Ala-beheth for the treatment of leprosy; Naha bark, powdered and mixed with lime for application on swollen joints; Sanni-nayan in cases of high fever and convulsions. They grind mustard-seed to be used as a poultice, and eat the leaves to promote appetite. Adatoda plant extracts are used for cases of phlegm and menorrhagia; Akmella leaves and flowers for toothache and sore throat; Amukkara for coughs and asthma. The Red Indian of old used to say that God gave the plants to them, but the white people are taking them all. In the present Western research boom, will we also fall victim? Western labs are being fed with as many plant species as possible - and mostly from the Third World. What will we do? Sell for a song - buy for an anthem? We need controls in place now. Our politicians have long been accused of "selling the family silver", but if they should now encourage the sale of our plant life to pharmaceutical giants, we will be depriving our people of much. Today, our native doctors use Pavatta bark and leaves to treat haemorrhoids. What will we do tomorrow? Go to a pharmacy and buy Pavatta capsules with some fancy name ("Tavapar"?) at a forbidding price, manufactured by a Western drug factory that is selling the bulk of its products to the West? The world, may I remind, remains, and, thanks to the grasping West, will remain as lop-sided as ever! ########## Image of Europe: A blood test to prevent strokes Ravisara Kariyawasam reports from Germany A simple blood test could soon help doctors to identify patients who are having a stroke much more quickly. A report in New Scientist magazine says a test, made by US company Biosite, can diagnose stroke in just 15 minutes. The test analyses blood to see if it contains proteins from the brain, released during strokes. While further research is needed, the test could enable doctors to diagnose and treat stroke faster reducing the risks of long-term damage. It comes as a study in the UK suggests many people who suffer strokes do not get the right treatment quickly enough. Doctors at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth surveyed 160 people. These included people who had had strokes, people who were at risk of stroke, nurses and members or the public. They found that some of the patients who had had strokes had waited up to six days before seeking medical help. The average waiting time was 30 minutes. In 80% of cases, the family doctor was called instead of an ambulance, potentially delaying vital treatment. Strokes are one of the most common causes of death and disability. Over 80% are caused by a blood clot blocking an artery in the brain, others are caused by ruptured blood vessels. A quarter of people who have a stroke die while survivors are often left with permanent brain damage. Diagnosing a stroke can be difficult because the symptoms vary and sometimes resemble those of other conditions. CT scans are good at spotting bleeds but are far less reliable when it comes to identifying the early stages of strokes. Quicker diagnoses could enable doctors to give patients clot dissolving drugs that can reduce brain damage if given within three hours of a stroke. The lack of a fast, accurate test for stroke means many patients who could benefit from these drugs do not get them. The blood test could be the answer to this problem, but it would have to pass clinical trials before it could be licensed for use in hospitals. Space rock makes closest approach Astronomers have watched a small object make the closest approach to the Earth of any space rock yet observed. The steroid, called 2004 FH and about 25m wide, passed by at a distance of just 43,000 km. Scientists say there was never any danger of the Earth being struck by the object, which was found by an automated sky survey. Astronomers believe they are getting much better at finding the small rocks that make close approaches. It gives them more confidence they will detect the more dangerous asteroids on a potential collision course with Earth. If 2004, FH had struck the planet, it would probably have burnt up in the atmosphere. The asteroid, which was discovered by the Linear sky survey based in New Mexico, made the pass while streaking over the southern Atlantic Ocean. Astronomers took the opportunity to get a rare, close-up view of an asteroid. It should have been visible through binoculars to stargazers across the Southern Hemisphere, as well as throughout Asia and Europe. Scientists have not ruled out the possibility that the asteroid and our planet could meet again sometime in the future. Some experts have doubted the object is really a space rock, suggesting it could be a discarded rocket booster. Loss of birds and butterflies may be sign of major global extinction A detailed survey of birds and butterflies in Britain shows a population decline of 54 to 71 per cent, a finding that suggests the world may be undergoing another major extinction. Researchers said the study helped support the theory that the sixth big extinction in Earth's history is underway, and this one is caused by humans. In a series of population surveys that combed virtually every square yard and meter of England, Scotland and Wales over 40 years, more than 20,000 volunteers counted each bird, butterfly and native plant they could find. The results showed that populations of the surveyed species are in sharp decline throughout England, Wales and Scotland, with some species gone altogether. The survey's authors suggested that the finding strengthens the hypothesis shared by many scientists that "the biological world is approaching the sixth major extinction event in its history." Scientists have identified five extinction events in Earth's history, with some so severe that more than 90 per cent of all life forms were killed off. The last and most famous extinction was the Cretaceous-Tertiary event about 63 million years ago that killed off the dinosaurs and allowed the rise of mammals. It is thought to have been caused by an asteroid hitting Earth. Devices change faster than the rules Consumers are not the only ones impressed by the proliferation of new portable electronic devices. So is the Federal Aviation administration - but not favourably. The technology is changing faster than air safety rules, according to experts at the agency, the airlines and elsewhere, who are scrambling to keep up. Wi-Fi cards, wireless modems, hand-helds with wireless e-mail service and even cellphones with games are all what the FAA calls "intentional emitters," devices that put out radio energy at a variety of frequencies. Passengers are carrying them onto planes that have long relied on radio navigation beacons on the ground; lately, the planes also need signals from fainter sources orbiting Earth, the Global Positioning System satellites. And the planes often have their own wireless systems for equipment that was added after they were built, like emergency lighting along the aisles. Interference between passengers' devices and the planes' systems is difficult to gauge and probably rare, experts say, but the possibility of stray signals is stirring anxiety. Scores of experts from airlines, aircraft equipment makers and consumer electronics companies have been meeting since early 2003 and hope to issue recommendations in about 18 months. Yet new products are entering the market so fast that the committee's recommendations will be quite broad rather than tied to specific products. The seriousness of the problem is hard to gauge. Analysts are not certain that there has ever been a problem in flight that was traced directly to electronic interference originating on board. But the idea haunts safety experts. While the scheduled carriers have flight attendants who enforce a ban on using wireless devices at high altitudes and on using any electronic below 10,000 feet, charter operators of planes large and small often tell their passengers to feel free to use cellphones, wireless modems, two-way pagers and similar devices. Baby has eight organ transplants A seven-month-old girl is recovering after undergoing a record eight organ transplants in the United States. In a 12-hour operation, Italian Alessia Di Matteo received a new liver, stomach, pancreas, small and large intestine, spleen and two kidneys. Alessia suffered from 'smooth muscle' condition, a potentially fatal disorder of the digestive system. ######### Bamboo under threat by Derrick Schokman Bamboos of many different kinds form one of the most striking features of tropical vegetation. They vary considerably in size and character. Some are dwarf, others giant, some are decorative and others commercially useful. A recent report by the UN Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) has revealed that there are 1600 recognised species of bamboo in the world, of which 1200 or so are the woody types distinguished by strong stems or culms. The greatest diversity is in Northern South America, South China and S.E. Asia. Despite this apparent abundance the reports claim that over 600 species in the Americas, Australasia and Asia are threatened by limited habitat in the wilds as natural forests are cut down for development purposes. Economic value According to INBAR many countries, particularly in Asia, are involved in the trade of bamboo products worth more than US$ 2.7 billion in 1999. China generates about US$ 140 million from the exports of bamboo shoots alone. In the Philippines furniture manufacture generates US$ 1.4 million. Modern processing techniques also means that bamboo can be used in a variety of ways such as laminates and flooring. One of the fastest growing bamboo products is paper. 25 percent of paper produced in India is from bamboo fibre. In Brazil 100,000 hectares of bamboo are cultivated for this purpose. The main function of Bamboo however still remains in domestic application. Because of its flexibility and tensile strength, it has traditionally been used in construction. Today more than one-billion people live in bamboo houses, because it is often the only readily available raw material. It also supports numerous cottage industries from baskets, matting and blinds to food, fodder fuel and a variety of handicrafts. It has also been used for centuries in acupuncture and the cure of disease. As a locally traded commodity bamboo is estimated at about US$ 4.5 billion annually. Sri Lanka It would appear that in Sri Lanka too there are problems with bamboo. Although there are no detailed data on available stocks and annual extraction rates, the Forest Department says that there is continuous over exploitation of bamboo in the forests and on river banks. This is having negative impacts both on the environment and bamboo industries. About 35 percent of the surveyed bamboo processors cannot get enough raw material to help them meet subsistence needs and provide a source of income as well. There are 30 species of bamboo in Sri Lanka, but according to the forest department only five are commonly used, the majority being shrubby types not suitable for utility purposes, or exhibits in the national botanical gardens. The five commonly used are the yellow bamboo or "Una bambu" (Bambusa, vulgaris), the giant green bamboo of 'Yodha Bambu" (Dendrocalamus giganteeus), D. asper, D. membranaceus and "bata" (Ochlandra stridula). The manufacture of handicrafts is almost entirely based on the small diameter Ochlandra stridula. The yellow bamboo is the most important for construction (scaffolding, house frames, posts, pillars, walls and concrete reinforcement) along with the Dendrocalamus species stated above. D. Strictus, an introduction from India, has been tested and is now being promoted by the Forest Department. The yellow bamboo and giant bamboo are found mainly in home gardens, along road sides and river banks in wetzone lowlands and the wet and intermediate zone hilly areas. 'Katu Una' (B. arundiacea)is found naturally in parts of the dry zone in the Matale and Polonnaruwa Districts. Measures What possible measures are there to maintain sustainable bamboo supplies from the natural forests, and cultivate this valuable and versatile raw material on a larger scale? This is going to present a challenge because bamboo has unusual life cycles and reproductive processes which are not well adapted to change. Bamboo tends to grow in stands made up of groups of individual plants that grow from underground stems or rhizomes. The infrequent flowering of bamboo, some species take 100 years or more, makes propagation by seed a non-starter. Cultivation is the other option from rhizomes or mature joints with buds, but even this is be devilled by scarcity of land and planting material. Clearly there is an urgent need for the Forest Department to conduct a comprehensive nationwide study on the supply and demand for bamboo and bamboo products covering growing stocks, sustainable yields, raw material use, production and employment in bamboo-based industries. With such information it would be possible to prioritise the endangered species and focus on habitat restoration and the extended cultivation of the species most in need. The Forest Department could then proceed to plant bamboo as an enrichment species in lowland rainforests and the buffer zones. Forestry and agricultural services could combine to promote bamboo cultivation by farmers, village communities and cottage industries, both on their own land and State land. The Forest Department could make an important contribution by selecting suitable sites for cultivation, raising and providing the desired planting material, designing silvicultural management schemes and giving the cultivator tenure to land and its products on State land. The Forest Department will also need to continue research on propagation and cultivation, with emphasis on commercial adoption by farmers and entrepreneurs. These recommendations have already been outlined in the Sri Lanka Forestry Sector Master Plan. They now need to be taken up for development. ########## Highlights pathetic side of law enforcement system: Sarath flies in with Gini Kirilli
Well-known artiste Sarath Dharmasiri has made genuine efforts through his maiden cinematic creation to raise the issue of the country's legal framework and the practical approach towards ensuring justice to the people. Gini Kirilli (Fire Bird), Sarath's maiden film unravels the pathetic side of law enforcement and the judicial system where the victim is further victimised. An award winning novelist, Sarath told Stage & Screen: "I wanted to portray the story of people who end up in misery while pursuing justice even though the system is so perfect and unique." His film revolves round Kavu Amma, a young girl living in a remote village who is raped by a married man in the same village. The suspect is arrested and brought before courts. She has to regularly travel to town for the hearing of the case.
While the rape case is still pending, Kavu Amma gets pregnant and all those misused her abandon her while some even flee the area. Left in the lurch, she finds no other alternative but to embrace the very same person who raped her. Acclaimed stage actress Jayani Senanayake plays the lead role putting up a better performance on the silver screen while supporting roles are played by well-known actors Jayalath Manoratne, Cyril Wickremage, Suminda Sirisena, Grace Ariyawimal. Athula Liyange in his first film has been successful enough to present a satisfactory performance. The film's music is by veteran Premasiri Khemadasa. In a way, Sarath's film goes on to explain the social victimisation due to male chauvinism while highlighting the lacunae in the existing law enforcement systems. Sarath noted that his attempt was to highlight social injustices in a cinematic way and open up a new avenue for discussion. The film is produced by Niroshan Devapriya and Yamuna Devapriya for Nethranjana films. The film will be released shortly on the CEL circuit. |
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Produced by Lake House |
Sri Lanka has many "native doctors" who have become known for
their curative arts. But are we also falling prey to greedy, grasping
pharmaceutical giants who wish to capitalize on our natural plant life?
Owing to her innocence and lack of knowledge, she is exploited by
various segments of society including Police personnel, the lawyer's clerk
and even the conductor of the bus in which she goes to town often.
