Dehradun: In the midst of the ongoing tension between India and China, ETV Bharat reports a little-known fact about China's interest in a precious herb found in Uttarakhand.
The herb, called 'Keeda Jadi' is found at a height of 3,600 to 5,000 meters above sea level. Villagers pitch tents in the grasslands in the Himalayan valley for nearly two months to collect the herb.
China has been making forays into Uttarakhand to smuggle out this herb.
China considered this herb precious because its trade fetches crores of rupees every year.
What is Keeda Jadi herb?
Keeda Jadi is a type of fungus which is produced by an insect found in the high altitude region of the Himalayas.
These insects feed on roots and herbs and develop fungus on their bodies.
Ultimately, the fungus eats into the body of the insect and kills it. The fungus found on the body of the dead insect is the herb called ‘Keeda’.
While no research has been done on insects found in inaccessible areas in India, there is a great demand for the Keeda Jadi herb in China.
Tibetan ancient books have information about Keeda Jadi herb
Information on Keeda Jadi herb was found in the 15th century Tibetan literature which also described its use in curing all types of diseases.
Gradually, the demand for this herb started picking up in China. The herb is used in China to remove tiredness and increase sexual prowess.
The Chinese athletes had performed extremely well in 1990 and their coach attributed this to the consumption of Keeda Jadi herb.
Keeda Jadi herb is also used as medicine in China and is doing a roaring business in that country.
In China, Keeda Jadi herb is known as gold.
Keeda Jadi herb is found in abundance in Tibet
Besides Uttarakhand, Keeda Jadi herb is also found in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and in some other countries.
There are restrictions on Keeda Jadi in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
There is no such restriction on Keeda Jadi in Uttarakhand. Keeda Jadi is found in Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand.
Keeda Jadi can hurt China economically
According to Jay Singh Rawat, familiar with the geography of Uttarakhand, Keeda Jadi herb is being smuggled out to China.
"The dispute between India and China has given an opportunity to India to strike back by clamping down on the smuggling of Keeda Jadi to China and promote its domestic use. There is also a need of the hour to stop the export of Keeda Jadi to China," Rawat said.
He suggested that the government should take total control over the harvesting and trading of Keeda Jadi herb.
He said that the harvesting can be handed over to the association of pluckers.
Ban smuggling of Keeda Jadi herb
Chief Conservator of Forests Jay Raj said that there has always been a great demand for Keeda Jadi herb from China.
The Uttarakhand government has now formulated a policy to stop its smuggling and regulate its trade.
Government spokesman Madan Kaushik said that Keeda Jadi herb has been included in trade items.
Uttarakhand has been exporting this to several countries including China. However, its export at present is negligible.
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