Herbal medicine workshop at Raha

Sangeet Kanan , a music school in collaboration with Akonir Kabita Ghar , a children’s organization , organized a two-day long workshop on herbal medicine here at Raha M V school premises from Saturday.

The workshop aimed at promoting natural medicine as safe alternative for disease prevention and treatment.

Taking part in the workshop as chief resource person , Gunaram Khanikar , a herbal medicine expert of the state and Director Regional Research And Training Centre On Indian Traditional Treatment (RRTCITT) said the workshop would educate the practitioners and the common men on the preservation of herbal plants adding that some of them lacked knowledge in natural medicine.

In an interview with this newspaper , Khanikar said herbal medicine should be recognized since it helps in felicitating health delivery in the country. Biomedicine has historically been perceived as more "physician centered," in which the doctor's opinions and beliefs are considered more important than the patient's. High quality alternative medicine, on the other hand, is first and foremost "patient centered," in which the feelings, beliefs, and the opinions of the patient are essential elements in the treatment decision-making process.

Traditional medicine involves holistic model of wellbeing through integration of emotional , physical, mental and spiritual aspects of patients. He said even though specific practices vary , traditional medicine was based on the understanding that human beings were part of nature and health was a matter of balance.

He appealed to government to support herbal medicine practitioners to plant herbal plants for the production of medicines.

A good number of people took part in the workshop. Besides the participants many people attending the two days programme also interacted with the herbal medicine expert.