U’khand seeks Centre’s help to hunt for herb
DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand is on a quest for a mythological herb, and it wants the Centre to fund the operation.
The Harish Rawat government has asked the central ministry for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush) to provide funds and the expertise for recovering the Sanjeevani Booti, a magical herb made famous by the Ramayana.
Saying that the term also finds mention in Ayurveda and other ancient texts, Dehradunbased herb expert Vaidya Balendu said, “Any herb that gives life to a seriously ill person is termed ‘sanjeevani’. Many herbs used by Ayurveda practitioners are named after it.”
The Sanjeevani Booti was always a tricky thing to find, even in legends of the past. The Ramayana says that the mighty Hanuman had to carry the Dronagiri mountain all the way to Lanka just because he was unable to locate the herb. Capable of resurrecting people, it is said to have brought Lakshmana back to life.
The Dronagiri mountain range, named after a village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, is located 400km from the city.
State Ayush minister Surendra Singh Negi said that as nobody has been able to locate the magical herb, he has requested Sripad Nayak — his counterpart at the Centre — to lend a hand.
“We strongly believe that the herb exists in Chamoli area of Uttarakhand, but we need funds and expertise to carry out our research. The herb could be the answer to various ailments,” Negi told HT.
Negi had recently made an informal request in this regard to Naik, during a meet of Ayush ministers in Delhi. A formal proposal will be forwarded to the ministry shortly, he said.