CHAMOLI (UTTARAKHAND):As snow starts melting in the upper reaches of Chamoli, Pithoragarh and nearby areas in the first week of May, the hunt for the “treasure” begins.Groups of people, mostly families, carrying basic utensils and ration, start pitching tents on the green pastures. Some come from nearby villages while others would have walked all the way through dense forests and mountains. Their stay there could range between 10 and 20 days, sometimes even more, depending on how soon they can lay their hands on ‘Keeda Jadi’ — a rare herb which can cure a variety of ailments, including impotency and, possibly, even cancer.
Several rare herbs and medicinal plants — particularly Keeda Jadi, a yellow-brown mummified caterpillar — that grow in the wild in the upper reaches of the hill state are fast disappearing with large-scale smuggling going on right under the nose of the state government.What is worrying is that it seems to be organised smuggling, with the rare herbs ending up in pharmaceutical companies, particularly in China and Nepal. Authorities suspect that some Indian pharma companies too are buying them through middlemen, and using their extracts in medicines and supplements.
Forest department officials told The Sunday Standard that herbs like Keeda Jadi and Shilajit — a thick, tar-like substance obtained from steep rocks found in the Himalayas and containing 85 minerals in ionic form — are in huge demand both in the country and abroad.“More than Shilajit, it is Keeda Jadi which is in great demand. People in Tibet, China and Nepal have been using it to cure different ailments for several decades and the herb smuggled from here is reaching pharma companies across the border. There is reliable information to suggest that some Indian pharma companies are also purchasing this herb through middlemen, who are paid lakhs of rupees,” says a forest department official.
Also known as Himalayan Viagra, Cordyceps Sinensis or Keeda Jadi is known to cure various ailments, including impotency and fatigue. Besides, it is said to be very effective in fighting cancer. “In Tibet and China, it is also used as an aphrodisiac. Due to its rare qualities, one kg of this herb sells for around Rs 15-18 lakh in the international market.
According to him, there are about 13,000 village forest councils that issue permits to locals to collect Keeda Jadi. “The villagers are expected to collect it and sell them only to the van panchayat, which pays about Rs 2 lakh for one kg of Keeda Jadi. But due to the organised smuggling, the villagers are bypassing village forest councils and selling it to middlemen who pay between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 10 lakh,” says the forest department official.
Another lower-rung forest department official in Chamoli says a 2014 proposal to form a single group to supervise all aspects of trade of the rare herb is in cold storage.“The proposal was to have experts from various departments — forest, police, revenue among others —form one body to regulate all activity relating to the collection and sale of keeda jadi… It was placed before the state government in 2014 but nothing has happened till date,” he says.Herbs like Keeda jadi and Shilajit are mostly found in remote villages in Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and nearby places where smuggling has been increasing over the years.
Chamoli district Superintendent of Police Tripti Bhatt told this newspaper: “Many illegal collectors of Keeda Jadi trek through far-flung hill routes passing through forests and mountains, collect the herbs and trek back to their destinations, without even touching the road… For example, smugglers would start trekking in the remote mountains of Chamoli, collect herbs and then trek to Bageshwar. This makes it difficult to nab them. However, we have arrested several persons and … registered cases under the Wildlife Act.”
The SP said there is information to suggest that foreign pharma companies are purchasing the herbs through middlemen. “But we cannot pin-pointedly say that Indian pharma firms are also among the buyers.”
Environmentalists and Ayurveda experts say that rampant extraction of medicinal herbs poses a serious threat to ecosystem. “If this smuggling continues unchecked, the day is not far when such herbs will be completely wiped out from our state... Many Keeda Jadi herbs are getting destroyed as local villagers, in their hurry to make money, dig out the fungus when it is not even ready. The government must take measures to conserve the fungus,” says R K Awasthi, who has been conducting a study on the rare Himalayan herbs.
What is Keeda Jadi?
It is a fungus which grows as a parasite on the larvae of a particular kind of caterpillar. It is known for its healing power. It is worth C18 lakh a kg in the international market
What is Shilajit?
It is a thick, sticky tar-like substance ranging from white to dark brown in colour. It is used in Ayurveda. It is known as an energy booster, is efficient in detoxification and balances blood sugar