Medicinal rice can cure gastro, knee, heart diseases, says farmer

Susheela, wife of a farmer, Vishnuvardhan Rao, displaying the medicinalvarieties of paddy cultivated in their fields, at Arisepalli village in Krishnadistrict. Photo: V. Raju

Here is some good news for patients suffering from joint pains, heart-related ailments and other chronic diseases. There is no need to run around hospitals if medicinal rice is consumed, says Panchakarla Vishnuvardhan Rao.

A farmer and Gopala Mithra member, Mr. Rao, is raising ‘medicinal varieties of paddy’ in the village in Krishna district. People are prone to diseases due to consumption of foodgrains that lack these values, said the farmer, who completed BZC in National College, at Machilipatnam.

Many people in their youth suffer from chronic diseases and take injections and gulp pills. The farmer’s idea is to give medicines along with food grains and keep the people away from diseases, Mr. Vishnuvardhan Rao told

The Hindu .

In the ‘Navarai’ variety he has raised he claims it is good for gastro and knee patients, Dodda Beer Nallu is good for anaemic patients and adolescent girls, Rami Gali has high protein-content, Rohas Panjar and Kadam are other medicinal varieties of paddy.

“Farmers are cultivating medicinal paddy in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which is good for pregnant women and patients suffering with other diseases. Medicinal crop varieties are not suitable for growing in saline soil and research should be done to cultivate the varieties in coastal areas”, said Mr. Vishnuvardhan.

Adopted from USA

He took the sample grains from a researcher, Sabarmatee, in Pasadena University, California in the US. She was raising 370 varieties of foodgrains in two acres in Orissa, as part of investigations.

The duration of the crop was 135 days and medicinal paddy contains high B Complex value and disease-resistance capability, he added.

It is better, if the crop is raised by using ‘go mutram’ (cow urine) and dung, said the farmer.

“My wife, Susheela, is encouraging me in raising different varieties of paddy. I allotted some land for cultivating medicinal varieties in my five and half acre paddy fields.

Farmers can give relief to the patients, if medicinal paddy is cultivated” Mr. Vishnuvardhan Rao opined.