New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Climate change poses a huge challenge for ayurveda and it is the reason behind many medicinal plants vanishing from India, President Pratibha Patil said here Wednesday. The All India Ayurveda Congress also agreed with her concern, saying it is gradually affecting the livelihood of 600,000 ayurveda practitioners.
“Due to climate change, natural habitat is moving towards an imbalance. Because of it a lot of medicinal plants are vanishing. This is a huge challenge for us,” Patil told a gathering of ayurveda practitioners here.

“To face this, we need to make a concerted effort. We need to categorize these vanishing medicinal plants and make efforts to replant them. In this work you can take the help of institutions like National Medicinal Plant Board,” the president said during her speech at the centenary celebration of the All India Ayurveda Congress.

Debendra Triguna, president of the India Ayurveda Congress, said they (ayurvedic practitioners) second the president’s opinion on the impact of climate change on their life.

“Yes, it is affecting ayurveda. It is affecting our livelihood,” Triguna told IANS adding that all 600,000 ayurveda practitioners have started feeling the pinch.

“We have noticed that many medicinal plants are vanishing. We have observed it more in the last four-five years. Several herbal plants like Kutki, Atisha, Kasturi and Prabal are facing extinction. This is affecting our medicine production and earnings,” he rued.

Triguna said they have taken the president’s suggestions seriously and will approach the National Medicinal Plant Board for handling the problem.

“We are also in favour of proper registration of ayurveda doctors so that those practicing it illegally can be punished as suggested by the president.”

During her speech, Patil advocated further research in ayurveda and registration of its practitioners to popularise them further in India and abroad.

“We need to register the ayurveda practitioners. Those who are practicing it illegally need to be tackled strongly. I have always advocated for ayurveda during my foreign trips. The preparation process, I believe, should not be changed while increasing the output of these medicines. Its real essence in medicine making needs to be preserved,” she added.