VietNamNet Bridge – Scientists have urged competent agencies to encourage the cultivation of rare medicinal herbs, when natural herbs have got nearly exhausted due to the overexploitation.

A lot of groups of people have been flocking to the southern part of the central region and Quang Nam province these days to look for xao tam phan and ca gai leo – the plants which are believed to effectively treat cancer.

The situation not only can be seen in the central provinces, but also in many other areas in the country, especially in mountainous areas in the north. If a plant is believed to be able to cure people, it would not be able to exist.

Forests lost, medicinal herb sources disappear

According to Dr. Nguyen Ba Hoat, former Deputy Head of the Central Medicinal Herb Research Institute, by 2005, the institute had recognized 3,948 plant and mushroom varieties, 52 species of marine algae, 408 species and 75 minerals which can be used to make medicine in Vietnam.

The survey showed a plentiful medicinal herb source in Vietnam. Of the 3,948 varieties found, nearly 90 percent have been growing in the wild, mostly in forest populations, while only 10 percent are cultivated plants.

However, the institute has also found out that many forest areas, where precious medicinal herbs were discovered, have been eliminated. The Ham Rong mountainous area in Lao Cai province, for example, was a thick forest with a lot of precious herbs, has become the maize growing area since 1985.

The same thing has occurred with the An Khe small plateau in Gia Lai and Binh Dinh provinces. It was once the homeland of cay vang dang (Coscinium fenestratum), the material for making berberin. However, the area now lies under the reservoir of the Vinh Son Hydropower Plant.

Meanwhile, the other areas which were the natural areas for precious medicinal plants, including ginseng, have been narrowed due to the deforestation. Once the forests are lost, the plants have no more areas to live.

As for vang dang plant, in 1980-1990, Vietnam exploited 1000-2,500 tons a year, but the output dropped to 200 tons a year in 1991-1995. Since 1995, there has been no vang dang more for commercial exploitation.

The plants with high economic values and high demand, which were easily found in the northern mountainous areas, have also got nearly exhausted and have been added into the Red Book and the red list of Vietnamese precious herbal plants.

Nguyen Minh Khoi, Head of the Central Medicinal Herb Research Institute, said that it is necessary to speed up the implementation of the works of natural resource management, building up the model of growing, processing herbs and giving consultancy.

Hoat has suggested that the first thing that needs to be done is to conduct an overall survey on the natural material resources, which can provide necessary data to program the herb development areas, standardize the input materials and ensure the reasonable exploitation of the herbs.

He has emphasized the necessity of cultivating herbs for commercial purpose in accordance with the WHO’s GACP (Good Agricultural and Collection Practices), which allows creating high quality products.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Huy Van, Deputy General Director of Traphaco, has suggested that the government should prohibit the export of wild herbs in order to prevent the “bleeding” of the precious herbs. Local newspapers recently have reported that big amounts of herbs have been carried across the border to China.

NLD