Auroville

 Location:

Get a list of plants Found in Auroville J in Pitchandikulam Ethnomedicinal Forest is an area of 50 acres within the greenbelt of Auroville. The EMF is enhanced with over 515 indigenous medicinal plants out of which 400 are being used in this bioregion.  We have established Kitchen Herbal Gardens, Community Herbal Gardens and School Herbal Gardens in 40 villages and where possible in the sacred groves and remnant forests. The important work is to get the village communities involved in these processes of eco restoration.  The Bio-Resource Center is a teaching and training place for the protection, propagation and use of medicinal plants. Different signage depicting the flora and fauna of the EMF and explaining the ecology of the area have been erected to enhance the educational, interpretative and training value of the garden. .  Over the last three years, we have compiled the traditional medicinal plant knowledge and related practices in 30 villages. Encouraging and co-coordinating the energies of the local traditional herbal healers is also an important part of the work.  A good relation has been developed between the government Primary Health Care (PHC) Centers and MOCP by conducting regular trainings for the village health nurses and helping them to establish herbal gardens. Steps have been taken to develop an Information System at the Bio-resource Center, which will be integrated with geographical systems to make possible effective community outreach strategies and long term planning.