Bhutan Herbal Medicine

[foolsbreath]

I have a friend from Bhutan, where he works for the national parks. We got to talking about the medicinal plants of Bhutan, and I was supprised to learn that Bhuan medicine is still majoraly herbal.

They have 600 known medicinals of which 300 are in common use in medicine.

Bhutan is a small country locked between India and China and has a landscape from glacial snow fields down to lush rainforest. It has only recently got electricity to its major cities, has banned smoking outright and only allows a few tourists entry. These tourists have to pay a considerable amount to be there. I would love to go one day, a true untouched paradise!!

Any way my friend has a friend coming over and offered to bring some medicinals from there. I obviously don't want to get him to bring anything illegal or banned by AQIS, but they have a tradition steeped in ayurvedics and tantric rituals, any ideas anyone?

[Rev]

Beg borrow or steal several texts on the ethnobotany of neighbouring countries

such as..

People and plants of the golden triangle

People and plants of Nepal

and other ethnographic texts

enjoyable but alot more questionable from the scholarly perspective is

Shamanism and tantra in the himalayas - in which C raatsch had a large part

reading them together gives alot more insight than in separation

for example C raatscs documnetaion of the use of Argyreai nervosa in kathmandhu is wonderful but in other texts the species found in the region is listed a A hookerii.

And that the araucaria sp in raatschs bookused as a dhupi /incensce is none other than the bunya pine A bidwilli - planted widely in Nepal

just intereting little crosslinks like that

[apothecary]

They have Bunya Pine growing at the local State Forest right now...my friend works there and I think they are dropping those huge pinecones right now.

Can you tell us more about dhupi Rev?

[Auxin]

Hu Huang Lian (Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora) seeds maby? An immunostimulant anti-inflammatory from china, bhutan, and nepal- I dont know if seeds have made it to the west yet, lots of phytochemical and pharmacological research is goin on tho.

The dried rhizome is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiperiodic, cathartic (in large doses), cholagogue, laxative (in smaller doses), stomachic and bitter tonic[176, 254]. The root contains a number of very bitter glucosides including kutkin and picrorhizin[254]. It also contains apocynin, which is powerfully anti-inflammatory and reduces platelet aggregation[254]. In trials, the rhizome was shown to boost the immune system and to have a specific action against the parasie Leishmania donovani, which causes the tropical parasitic disease called leishmaniasis[254]. The rhizome has a very beneficial effect upon the liver and digestive system and is used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions including fevers, constipation, dyspepsia and jaundice[254]. It is also often used in the treatment of scorpion stings and snake bites[254]. There is also some evidence that the rhizome can be of help in the treatment of bronchial asthma and a number of auto-immune diseases such as psoriasis and vitiligo[254], whilst it has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels and reduce coagulation time. The rhizome is gathered in the autumn and dried for later use[254].

Link

hmm, the usual cultivars of Withania somnifera are hardy to USDA zone 9+ only. Maby bhutan has developed one that can survive mild winters? Couldnt hurt to ask ;)

[foolsbreath]

Yeah, sounds god! they also have a piper species there, high in petroleum oils, and indian bay.

What about some R serpentina, or other more commen ones? could do with a bit more genetic diversity here?