A search for Goji Berry: Lycium Barbarum in Bhutan and its relative.

The Goji Berry flourished in the valleys of the Himalayas especially Tibet for thousands of years and have been the secret of longevities of the people who ate them. Some internet sources also report that wolfberries have been used in traditional Chinese Medicine for at least 2,000 years. Whatever it is, one thing is clear that the Goji Berry is known in Asia as an extremely nutritious food and have been extensively eaten raw, consumed as juice or wine, brewed into an herbal tea or prepared as a tincture, eaten as salads and used widely in other culinary preparations. Its leaves are made into tea. The berries are believed to enhance immune system function, improve eyesight, protect liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation, among other good health effects. Goji Berry root bark is also good for inflammation and some types of skin diseases. The Goji Berry was first reported to grow in Tibet but its habitat has been successfully duplicated and now it is propagated popularly in many countries like USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and primarily in Tibet and China. Since Bhutan also falls within Himalayan region, it was suspected that the same species must have been dwelling here too. Because the berry is highly nutritious, it comes with many medicinal uses, and has high economic value. ITMS looked for its possible whereabouts in Bhutan. The search, although didn’t yield any positive findings, a close relative of Goji Berry was found growing in Punakha. This is called Lycium armatum. This paper discusses about the search for Goji Berry and its literature findings.

Nasturtium Officinale brown (semri sag: as a vegetable with high nutritional value.

Nasturtium officinale is one of the common plants found growing wildly along the ditches and marshy places. Many people across the globe have been eating this plant as salad or as cooked vegetable since the time immemorial. In Bhutan, many Bhutanese have been eating this plant for centuries. Some Bhutanese have even been taking it for curing many illnesses including liver disorders. The literature review substantiated this curative claims and have been found to be rich in iron and many other micronutrients. This paper describes the plant, its ethno-medical uses, nutritional contents and the methods of use.

Bio-prospecting in Bhutan: Its Scope and Challenges.

Natural products have been an important source of pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, fragrances, veterinary products, organic pesticides and many more. Many of the modern drugs that are currently available are the natural products derivatives. Since the diseases are scourging the mankind and its allies, there is urgent need for new drugs. There is also increasing demands for cosmetics, nutraceuticals, fragrances and other organic products. From these perspectives, there is huge potential for bioprospecting worldwide. For Bhutan, while there is a challenge in terms of funding the bioprospecting activities, there are lots of scopes for bioprospecting initiative. This is because; Bhutan is rich in biodiversity and also rich in traditional medical knowledge. These two critical factors supported by the reliable collaborators would make bioprospecting in Bhutan a success. Thus, this paper presents the scopes and challenges of bioprospecting in Bhutan.

Bhutanese Brag-zun (mineral pitch): Its uses and scientific findings.

Brag-zun is the most sought after medicinal products in Bhutan and also in the Asian countries. It is used in many folkloric and traditional medicines for treating various disorders and is commonly known as the "destroyer of all illnesses". According to gso-ba-rig-pa, Brag-zun is used for treating fever, ulceration of stomach, liver and kidney diseases, dysentery, gout, rheumatism, boosting the body immune system (as rejuvenators) and for improving the eyesight. In Bhutan, Brag-zun is collected from the rocky cliffs in Chukha, Punakha and Paro Dzongkhags and is used for formulating as many as seventeen different traditional medicines. The scientific literature review found that Brag-zun has been extensively studied and the findings substantiate most of its ethno-medical claims. However, no study was done on the Bhutanese variety of Brag-zun. Therefore, series of studies were carried by the authors mainly to asses its anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities. These studies found that the Bhutanese variety of Brag-zun exhibited the anti-oxidant and the antifungal activities. It was active against Candida albicans and Microporeum gypsum. Thus, this paper describes the reported scientific findings of Brag-zun and the findings of the Bhutanese variety of Brag-zun.

Traditional Bhutanese medicine (gSo-BA Rig-PA): an integrated part of the formal health care services.

Traditional medicine in Bhutan is known as gSo-ba Rig-pa and is one of the oldest surviving medical traditions in the world. Other medical systems, such as Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Unani medicine, Greco-Roman medicine and the country's rich cultures and traditions have greatly influenced the way traditional Bhutanese medicine evolved. However, Buddhist philosophy remains the mainstream of this medical system. gSo-ba Rig-pa's principles are based on the perception the human body is composed of three main elements: rLung ('Air'), mKhris-pa ('Bile') and Bad-kan ('Phlegm'). When these three elements are balanced in the body a person is said to be healthy. The pathophysiology is also different from other medical systems, and the close link to Buddhism is reflected in the spiritual dimensions and the perception that all suffering is caused by ignorance. The treatment of diseases includes behavioral modification, physiotherapy, herbal medicines, minor surgery and spiritual healing. This makes the traditional Bhutanese medicine a unique and holistic health care system. The traditional medicine is an integrated and recognized part of the formal health care services in Bhutan under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The article highlights three main points which can be learned from the Bhutanese experience: (1) the strong tradition of herbal medicines within gSo-ba Rig-pa forms a unique opportunity to prospect for new leads for development of pharmaceuticals, (2) the availability of the traditional medicine along with biomedicine broadens the health care choices for patients, and (3) the experiences of integrating two conceptually very different health care systems within one ministry contains important managerial lessons to be learned.