India Herbal Garden opens at WHO, Geneva

Lucknow, May 17 (UNI) A garden showcasing some of India's medicinal herbs and plants, developed by Lucknow-based National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), has been inaugurated at the the World Health Organisation (WHO) Headquarters, Geneva.

The India Herbal Garden was inaugurated yesterday by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, Minister for Health&Family Welfare, Government of India in presence of Dr Margarat Chan, WHO Director General.

The idea behind setting up the garden is to popularise the usage of Indian plants in health care worldwide, as the garden was to be set up in WHO premises.

The garden has been developed by NBRI under financial support of National Medicinal Plants Board, New Delhi.

It is the first garden of its kind in WHO premises, an NBRI source told UNI here today.

The Government of India, through the Ministry of Health&Family Welfare, way back in 2003-04, had made a commitment to WHO to set up India Herbal Garden at WHO (HQ) in Geneva.

The responsibility was later rendered to NBRI in 2006.

On the occasion of inauguration, an NBRI leaflet describing the background of the garden, its layout and details of the herbs, including their usage was also released by Dr Ramadoss.

''Dr Chan, herself a herbalist by profession, thanked the India Government for developing and donating the India Herbal Garden to WHO, besides appreciating the efforts of NBRI,'' the source added.

The Health Minister emphasized the future prospects of India's rich biodiversity and traditional knowledge in grabbing the fast increasing global herbal market.

According to the source, Dr Ramadoss said the garden will have long term future prospects in popularising the Indian system of medicine and herbal industry.

NBRI Deputy Director Dr A K S Rawat was also present on the occasion, who briefed the gathering about the propagation and medicinal uses of the herbs in the garden.

UNI