First food: business of taste
Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it
Traditional Knowledge
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HONG KONG
Despite Viagara hitting the stores in Hong Kong, the sale of Chinese medicines has not been affected. The Hong Kong health authorities approved the sale of Viagara in February 1999 and the
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Candid camera
AN exhibition of photographs by Rajnikant Yadav, entitled "Images of Narmada', was held from December 9 to 15 at the Indian International Centre, New Delhi. It documented the culture of various
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How To Sell A Wonder Herb
There is arogyapacha. A rare herb with extraordinary medicinal properties. There is the Kani tribe of Kerala. It has preserved the herb and the knowledge about its use. Enter scientists and the state government. They try to sell the herb and share the ben
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Making science of mumbo jumbo
Scientists compile India's ethnic knowledge. They find a veritable gold mine
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The miracle makers
Scientists are only now finding out the Kanis' knowledge of herbal remedies. The most outstanding find so far is arogyapacha
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The red tape vs Kanis
The forest department reserves the right to conserve arogyapacha, and prevents Kanis from selling it outside
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Political battles
The benefit sharing scheme for arogyapacha saw hurdles right from the start. On July 22, 1995, the then chief minister of Kerala, A K Antony, was to sign a memorandum of understanding with Arya
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Kani vs Kani
Kanis are dragged into bureaucratic wrangling, pitting them against each other
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Stealing what is ours
THE traditional Indian systems of medicine such as Auyrveda, Unani and Siddha, are facing a threat from an unlikely quarter - the World Trade Organisation's (WTO'S) rules on Intellectual Property
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Losing jobs in the jungle
Irula tribals are rich in the knowledge of traditional medicine. They used to catch snakes and practise herbal medicine for a living. Today they have had to abandon their traditional occupation as wildlife laws do not permit it