By the end of the 12th five-year plan, the Department of Traditional Medicine Services (DTMS) will have a database and mapping for traditional medicinal resources and services across the country. Due to lack of a proper database, the department is faced with the imbalance in the plan, services and the medicinal resources.
The findings of the database and mapping were presented during the 5th biennial traditional medicine conference in Phuentshogling recently.
“We do have a range of medicines made from plants, minerals and animals. As of now, we do not have a record of the quantity of these medicinal resources. We are now in the process of creating database and mapping of these medicinal resources,” Dungtsho Chogyel Dorji, the Chief Program Officer of DTMS, said.
Once the database is complete, the details such as place, physiology, usage, botanical name and elevation among others will be available online. The information about the services such as local healers and hot springs will also be available.
At present, most of the medicinal plant harvest is done in Lingzhi. And with the database, it will help to find alternative places for the harvest. From next year, the DTMS is planning to hire a data expert to help prepare the content.
Sonam Penjor
