Commercial Cultivation and Sustainability of Pushkarmool (Inula racemosa), A Case Study from Keylong, Lauhal & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India

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In the recent years demand of the medicinal and aromatic plants has grown rapidly because of accelerated national and international industrial interest on herbal and Ayurvedic products. Due to this increasing consumption and continued unsustainable collection from the wild habitats and dwindling cultivation practices, numerous high altitude medicinal plants are now on verge of extinction from the wild sources. Variable price status, production limitations, biodiversity rules &regulations and lack of trust among supply chain are preventing producers from taking up continued cultivation practices. Inula racemosa Hk.f. is one of them which belong to family Asteraceae locally known as Manuand traded as Pushkarmool. It is a rare perennial alpine herb having restricted wild habitats in India. Pushkarmool is widely used in traditional codified and non-codified medicines in India and Tibet.The species take two to three years for producing its yields as root parts for the Ayurvedic medicine and there is no sustainable way, harvesting practices for the conservation of this species. The present study explained steps followed by the private and public partnership. It is a case study which was started in the years 2007-08 by the LMS (Lahaul Medicinal Plant Society) and Dabur India Limited has jointly put the joint efforts to bring Pushkarmool under commercial cultivation. The LMS had played a key role in coordinating and mobilizing the self-help groups (SHGs), government and non-government organization and other institutions in the district Lahaul & Spiti to help privileged local farmers to link up with reliable markets of the raw material with a tie up with Dabur India Ltd, New Delhi. We can promote the cultivation of such medicinal plants by involving the local farmers and bringing these under cultivation which not only helps the conservation of the species, but this has also helped to provide the extra income to the local and native farmers and play a critical role in enhancing their livelihood. The study may be considered as test case for successful conservation by bringing species domestication for the commercial cultivation.