Page 1 - Oct-Dec 2013

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The heriTage Club NewsleTTer

OCTOber - DeCeMber 2013 VOl. 10 No. 4
Miracle Medicines
Hi Friends,
Medicines can heal,
medicines can cure…. ndia has a varied and vibrant living down the ages—drawing from
but do plants heal?? iheritage, which includes traditional knowledge that had already been
I know, I am sure…
systems of medicine. For centuries, evolving for millennia in the forests of
our country has been known for its india.
alternative medicinal therapies. every with rapid urbanisation and preference
state in the country has something for allopathic medicines, the demand
different to offer as far as medicinal for traditional medicinal practices has
herbs and therapies are concerned. decreased. however, in many parts
From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and of the country, local communities
from rajasthan to sikkim, there is no and tribes still continue with these
state which does not have its own traditional practices. This knowledge
traditional medicinal practices.
is passed down from one generation
india is known to be the land of sages, to another. it is indeed a part of our
Indians believe that the knowledge who were a storehouse of knowledge rich living and natural heritage, and
of medicinal plants is older than on traditional medicinal practices and needs to be safeguarded.
history itself. There are many plants accumulated medicinal information
and trees that are used for deriving AMAzING AyUrvedA
medicines. From the bark to the THE GHAT STORY
root, from the seeds to the shoots, The Western Ghats is very rich ayurveda is a traditional medicine
in medicinal wealth. There are
some trees and plants have a lot to around 700 medicinal plants in the system native to india. The term
offer. With its rich biodiversity, our forests and hills of the Western ayurveda is derived from two sanskrit
country is a repository of medicines Ghats. Some of these are used words- ‘ayus’ meaning longevity and
sourced naturally. In fact, some for traditional and folk medicinal ‘veda’ meaning knowledge. ayurveda
plants that grow in the wild also practices. was among the first medical systems
have medicinal properties! to advocate an integrated
approach towards matters
Come, let’s explore the unique ways MOUNTAIN MAGIC of health and disease.
in which medicines can perform P. Sri Bhargavi, IX A, Bharatiya
miracles. The himalayas are known for their Vidya Bhavan’s Public School,
nature’s bounty of medicinal herbs. Hyderabad
CONTENTS it has unique trees and herbal plants
which have helped to cure many an
Miracle Medicines 1 ailment.
history of Traditional Medicines 2
Medicines from the North east 3 it has been mentioned in the
Magical Medicines 4 ramayana too. lord hanuman is
Nurturing Nature, Kitchen Cures 5 supposed to have brought sanjee-
Power of Plants 6, 7 vani buti from the great himalayas
regional wonders 8 in order to heal the wounds of lord
activities 4 u 9, 10 ram’s brother lakshmana.
heritage News, subscription Form 11
Harkirat, VII, Gyan Bharati School, New Delhi
Prize winners, what’s Next? 12 Illustration by: Paridhi Aggarwal, X,
Delhi Public School, Maruti Kunj, Gurgaon
I N d I a N Na TION al Tr u ST f O r a r T a N d Cul T ur al H E r IT a g E

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