Mizoram farmers offer Bible-inspired panacea

Aizawl, Jun 12 : Even before official recognition, Mizoram's indigenous medicinal plants have already worked miracles if the claim by the farmers in the region are to be believed.

No wonder then that over 10,000 people have used these plants so far and over 2,500 claim to have been cured.

Lalchhuanmawia, a 52-year old farmer, from Durtlang area at the outskirts of the city, used to suffer from high blood pressure, ulcer and diabetes.

''With a mere hope, I had soon turned into despair when my doctors declared that there is nothing they can do to improve my situation'', the farmer told UNI.

''One day while going through the Holy Bible I came across a reference in the book of Exodus of a herbal medicine, which God gave to the Israelites. Reading that my search began'', Mawia recalled.

Inspired by the Bible, in September 2003, Lalchhuanmawia mixed two herbs and started taking it.

''In two weeks I was able to smoke for the first time in six months, I started eating anything I desired, all ill effects were gone by then'', he said.

Baruah, a senior medical consultant said, ''He told me he was cured, I could find no signs of the diseases''.

H Lalhmuaka of Sihfa village said ''I had a brain tumour, doctors told me I don't have long to live. I took Lalchhuanmawia's herbal medicine and recovered''.

J Kaphleia from Tanhruil locality had a similar experience too.

''Both my kidneys were not functioning. Doctors told me to go for transplant, seeing no other way I turned to Mawia's herbal medicine.

I am completely healed now'', he said.

Another 56-year old agriculturist called Rualpawla, a resident of Zemabauk region, also claimed to have cured more than 2000 patients with kidney and urinal tracts, apart from genealogical problems, from his herbal medicines.

One of his successful cures was for one of his patients called Lalfamkimi, who had a chronic problem of kidney stones reappearing even after he was being treated in several reputed hospitals across the country.

''My wife fully recovered from her ailments after taking six litres of the liquid prepared from medicinal plants by the man. She had disposed all the allopathic medicines which we had bought'' Lalfamkimi's spouse Lalhmangaiha said adding that they had to go to Guwahati twice a year before they approached Rualpawla.

Officials from medicinal plant board said as many as 200 species of medicinal plants have been identified in Mizoram.

Dr H B James of Mizoram state medicinal plants board, said ''they might have got healed, but I cannot rule out placebo, psychological factors often work. We cannot authenticate the medicine, however; I had talked to several persons, who claimed to have been healed''.

He also assured to help the people, who undertake the work of curing diseases through their herbal medicines, if they want to patent the medicine in a proper manner.

Meanwhile both the 'herbal doctors' continue to get calls even from Mumbai, Pune and Delhi besides neighbouring Assam, Mehalaya and Nagland.

UNI