The herbal garden developed by the Sidha unit has been proving a major attraction at the Primary Health Centre in Ernapuram village near here.
The garden serves the purpose of creating awareness on rare herbs, which have many medicinal values, for which the country is famous for. The garden, the brain child of S. Boopathiraja, a Sidha doctor attached to the PHC, has been set up from the patient welfare society fund provided by the State Health Department.
Many herbs which are used in the preparation of Sidha medicines are always available in the vicinity of the households and in the fields. In particular the ‘nilavembu’ plant which is disease resistant is found in abundance in common places. However, the general public is neither aware of its presence nor its utility value, according to S. Boopathiraja.
The food which the people consume daily too has many medicinal values. People are not aware of this too.
A total of 52 different types of herbs such as ‘nilavembu’, ‘sarpagantha’, ‘malaivembu’, ‘seemai agathi’, ‘vembu’, ‘pirandai’, ‘avarai’ etc have been raised in the garden. The display of their names and use has provided added attraction.
The Sidha unit at the PHC has been attracting at least 60 patients a day and they make it a point to visit the herbal garden and know about the herbs, which were considered as a treasure in the olden days.
The well wishers visiting hill stations and forest areas do not fail to bring rare herbal plants they happen to see in those areas and bring the same to be displayed at the herbal garden at the PHC, much to the delight of the entire staff of the health centre.
Dr. Boopathiraja has plans to further develop the garden. “I am in contact with some social organisation for the same”, he says.
Dr. Raja has also taken pains to display charts explaining the utility value of the herbs, the herbal plants which could be raised in the home gardens etc at prominent points in the PHC.
