[S.Annadana]

Herbal plants vital
part of organic farming’

Growing herbal plants is another important feature in the development of organic farming in Negros, a herbal medicine expert said during his talk at the recent 3rd Negros Island Organic Farmers’ Festival in Bacolod City.

Dr. Romeo Quijano, professor of the UP College of Medicine and president of the Pesticide Action Network Philippines, said that Negros has very good sources of medicinal plants particularly in the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park and southern Negros.

About 12,000 are potentially medicinal but only 1,500 plant species are actively being utilized by traditional healers in the country, figures of the national inventory of plant species show.

But about 30 percent of medicinal plant species used by indigenous people have not been identified and classified officially.

Quijano said herbal plants should be organically-grown and pollution-free if they are to be processed as herbal medicine or supplements.

They should not be contaminated with pesticides, industrial chemicals, wastes, vehicular and other emissions that pollute air, land and water, said Quino, pharmacologist/toxicologist, who discussed “Herbs and Alternative Medicines and Health Concerns on GMO.”

He said about 80 percent of the Filipinos rely mainly on medicinal plants, usually in crude form, and noted the growing number of people that use herbal plants because of its efficacy and the high cost of synthetic medicine.

Quijano said not all are aware of how useful herbal plants are, and encouraged Negrenses to discover the wonders of lowly plants like ampalaya for diabetes and lagundi for cough.*NLG