Haripangi is a tribal healer in the Koraput district of Odisha. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
In the quiet hills of Tentoriguda, a remote village in the Koraput district of Odisha, ancient wisdom flourishes around leaves, epidermal plant tissues and roots, and the humble four-room building serves as a tribal healing lab I will. Recently, this modest space hosted 17 Ayurvedic experts, including the Director of the Central Council of Ayurvedic Scientific Research (CCRAS).
Hari Pangi, a beneficiary of indigenous healing knowledge passed down through five generations, was under Ayush Province for the preservation and verification of the local tribal health traditions practiced in his village. We have signed a non-disclosure agreement with CCRAS. If successful, his traditional methods of treating chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and cancer may be recognized.
Professor Rabinayan Acharya, director of CCRAS, said he was “very impressed” by Pangi’s traditional approach. Citing the high demand for Pangi’s services, 100-125 patients visited on Sundays, 70 and 25 people visited on weekdays, and Professor Acharya said, “This is that his formulation is working.” “It shows that.
Ayurveda experts analyze the seeds of medicinal plants collected by Haripangi in the village of Tentoriguda in the Koraput district of Odisha. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
According to him, CCRAS is particularly interested in Pangi’s traditional treatments for chronic kidney disease, hypertension and cancer. To verify his claims, CCRAS will deploy Ayurvedic degree holders to work with Pangi for a year to interact with patients and cross-check the effectiveness of his formulation. Based on the report, CCRAS will proceed with further research into three treatments, Professor Acharya said.
Pangi’s research institute, the traditional technical research center for Chinese herbal medicine and training at Sri Gupteswar, has become an unexpected hub of scientific curiosity over the past two days. The center attracted tribal healers from the southern district of Odisha. He came together to share his experience and knowledge about providing medical care remotely.
CCRAS held a workshop on Pangi’s campus, highlighting the conservation of traditional medicinal plants through Seed Bank as a strategy to combat climate change. During the workshop, tribal healers were trained to improve their skills. Long before he received a formal recognition for his efforts, Pangi had already taken active steps, preserving more than 400 different plants at significant medicinal values.
The Central Council for Ayurvedic Scientific Research has signed a non-disclosure agreement with Hari Pangi, a traditional tribal healer. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
“Our mission is to examine the traditional knowledge of tribal healers through a structured process,” Professor Acharya said. “We sign a private agreement with them, under which we require that they not disclose their methods of healing. All formulations and information be critically analyzed in a systematic way. It’s been done,” he said.
Professor Acharya says that while most traditional healing practices are already in the public domain, the innovative knowledge gained through non-disclosure agreements should be subject to rigorous testing including quality control, safety assessment, clinical trials and patents. I emphasized. If patented, tribal healers will receive a share of profit.
“We have recently secured approval for commercialization of Ayush-82, an Ayurvedic formulation developed for the prevention and management of diabetes,” says Professor Acharya. “There is a defined process for gathering information from tribal healers, which includes the number of patients they treat and details of the generations that their practice spans generations.”
Before CCRAS noticed his work, Pangi, who had not completed his admission, has already tested his traditional methods of healing by hiring Ayurvedic degree holders for £24,000 a month. I was taking an important step. Confident in his knowledge, Pangi claims that he can identify more than 200 plant species thanks to medicinal plants in his hometown, and has formulations to treat more than 100 different diseases. He insisted.
“There should be a policy to save the seeds, roots and tubers of medicinal plants scientifically. That way, we will make endangered spices available to the next generation. A well-known scientific communicator Laxminarayan Boxi said:
Published – February 17, 2025 10:39 AM IST
