Patanjali survey finds 1,011 medicinal plants in 4 U’khand districts

Haridwar: A survey conducted by researchers from Patanjali Ayurved in tribal areas across four Uttarakhand districts has identified 1,011 medicinal plants -- nearly matching the state govt’s recorded count of 1,300 species across the entire state. The findings have raised hopes that a comprehensive survey across all 13 districts could significantly reshape existing knowledge of Uttarakhand’s botanical heritage, researchers said.

The study, conducted under the guidance of Acharya Balkrishna in Dehradun, Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar, involved researchers travelling to 122 villages across 14 tehsils to document traditional medicinal knowledge preserved by tribal communities.

The exercise identified 216 tribal healers from the Jaunsari, Bhotia, Tharu, Buksa and Van Raji communities, each practising distinct systems of treatment. Through interactions with them, researchers scientifically documented 238 medicinal plants for the first time.

According to the researchers, tribal healers were found treating a wide range of ailments, including joint pain, arthritis, kidney stones, diabetes, malaria and asthma, using plant-based remedies passed down through generations.

A communique issued by Patanjali said the survey team also geo-tagged tribal families in the surveyed areas. The process revealed around 28,000 tribal families in the region, significantly lower than the 50,000 households previously cited by the govt.

Researchers described the findings as a “major breakthrough”, adding that the documentation of 238 medicinal plants had transformed centuries-old oral tribal knowledge into a formal written text titled ‘Document of Tribal Hills’.

Beyond research, Patanjali said it is attempting to integrate tribal families into the mainstream economy by creating employment opportunities in agriculture and business. “Through Patanjali’s Annadata App, tribal communities can now sell herbal products directly to consumers, eliminating middlemen,” Balkrishna said.

He described the traditional knowledge of nature and medicinal flora preserved by tribal societies as “an invaluable heritage of humanity” and claimed that Patanjali had undertaken the “challenging task” of scientifically preserving this disappearing legacy.

“With teams now working day and night across all 13 districts, we expect a completely new and enriched map of Uttarakhand’s medicinal wealth to emerge soon,” Balkrishna said.

Speaking to TOI on Monday, Balkrishna said, Govts should focus on the documentation and scientific validation of medicinal plants found in ‘prakriti’ (nature). These can free us from numerous ailments.”

“If one institution can do so much in this direction, imagine what govts across the country can collectively achieve in this field,” he added.