Chhindwara District is situated on Satpura plateau at 1550-3820 feet above the Sea level. The District lies between 18 8′ – 20 9′ E. The arrangements of the plateau varies in altitude from 760-1030 mts. the plains in the south have a general elevation of 400 mts. The valley – Patalkot is situated 82 km away in the north-west of Chhindwara. Patalkot (Patal -subterrene, kot = fort) is a horse-shoe shaped valley in which there are 12-small villages. Tamiya (1000 m in height) and Patalkot valley (400 m) are the parts of Satpura plateau and are located in south-east direction of Pachmarhi. Both the spots are botanists paradise as far as the grandeur of natural vegetation is concerned.
The area came under the british rule in 1853. The forests were thrown open to the contractors on royalty system who removed the best teak trees for supply to the railways. The forests were declared reserved in 1879. Due to population explosion and civilization deforestation has been done in the nineteenth century onward with a rapid rate.-The two places, Patalkot and Tamiya because of the rich flora have attracted tourists, botanists and other nature lovers.

THE LAND

The main Chhindwara plateau is characterised by scattered flat topped trap hillocks with step-like terrace. The Chhindwara plateau slopes steepyly and abruptly eastwards to a general elevation of about 450 mts in plains. Archaens type of rock occurs in Chhindwara. It consists of intensely metamorphosed highly folded magniferou metasediments. Gondwana formation is the main-type geoliogical formation of the area. Patalkot is filled with sedin.entary rocks, uncovered gravel pebbles, needlestones, and sandstone observed at various level. The rocks of the area are grey, red or purple and quite hard. The rocks also contain felspar and mica as common ingredients. The climate of Chhindwara in general, and Tamiya and Patalkot in particular is neither hot nor too cold. The characteristic feature of Satpura range is that as compared to Himalayas and south India mountains inspite of low altitude the rainfall is high, i.e., average about 200 cm per year.

THE PEOPLE

Gond and Bharia are the main tribes of Chhindwara District. Earlier, their primary occupation was hunting and fishing. But now they have adapted the practice of cultivation of maize, Soyabean, Millet, Kodo, and Kutki, etc. However, a large number of Gonds work as farm and forest laboures. Among the Gonds proper, there are two sub-divisions, Raj Gond and Dhur Gond. Gond which formerly was the name of the region spread over western Bihar and eastern Bengal. There are several groups or sub-tribes of Gond. The Gonds have exogamous totemic clans. A man must not marry within his clan nor he should marry in a clan which worships the same number of Gods. Each clan worships a specific number of Gods and has somewhat linkage with Dravidian language. Besides, this, now they have learnt Hindi language to some extent. Their economy is based on agriculture and forest produce. Economically they are very poor people. Their children suffer from malnutrition. In Patalkot, Bharia people are dominating/About 98 per cent Bharia and 2 per cent Gonds reside in the valley.

MEDICINAL PLANTS

Saxena and Shukla reported 275-medicinal plants from Patalkot valley. The important medicinal plants and their uses are given in Table 1.

Maheshwari and Dwivedi studied the ethnome-dicinal plants of Bharia tr’be of Patalkot valley and reported that Bharia utilizes a large number of plant species occurring wild in the district as herbal remedies in various diseases. They gathered first-hand information of about 61-medicinal plants and mode of therapeutic uses of these plants. A list of rare medicinal plants is given in Table 2.
Ramprasad et al. reported 55-medicinal plants from Patalkot valley. They studied the important Value Index of 27-medicinal herbs which are given in Table 3.
Ram Prasad et al.  reported that roots are abun dantly used by Bharias followed by leaf, whole plant, flower, fruits, and bark.

Rai and Nonhare (1992, 1994) carried-out the eth-nomedicinal studies of Bicchua block of Chhindwara and reported 100-medicinal olants which are given in Table 4.

CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

Conservation can be defined as – “the management for the benefit of all life including humankind of the biosphere so that it may yield sustainable benefit to the present generation while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of the future generation.”

Owing to rapid rate of destruction of forests precious herbal medicines are becoming rare day-by-day. Some of these medicinal plants are much threatened and others are vanishing rapidly. So, it is indispensable to take necessary steps to protect the plants from degeneration. There are two important methods, viz., in situ and ex situ conservation. In Ayurveda, it is mentioned that the medicinal plants are highly active, if they are grown in their natural habitat. In Chhindwara District Patalkot, specially Chhindi area should be selected for in situ conservation of medicinal plants. Other places where efforts for in situ conservation can be made include: Tamiya, Harrai, Bicchua, and Devgarh, etc. Gond and Bharia people can be involved for the propagation of drug-plants.
Ex situ conservation also plays a significant role in minimising degeneration of medicinal plants. For this purpose, nurse y of medicinal plants can be prepared and plants can be multfplied by applying modern techniques, such as, tissue culture, biological control of insect-pests, etc. In Patalkot, a nursery of medicinal plants has been developed by the Government. Endeavours have also been made by Danielson College Environmental Conservation Programme to conserve medicinal plants in the college garden. However, these conserved plants/nurseries need proper care, protection and multiplication, and above all is financial assistance.

Not only conservation strategies, but awareness among the/common people is also required for the conservation of nfiexlicinal plants. This aim can be achieved by distribution of rhedicinal plants of daily use like Emblica officinalis. Plumbago zeylanica, Sapindus laurifolius, Swertia chirata, Tinospora cordifolia, Ocimum basilicum. It can be undertaken in social and Agro-forestry programmes.

Paramedical staff must be trained for the collection of medicinal plants time to time as the different parts of the plants are to be collected as per their availability and maturity. The reasonable price should be paid to the people for this collection.

Major set-backs

The medicinal plants are required in a great number as compared to their production, and therefore, the vendors adulterate them with similar plants. Ichnocarpus frutescertse is
used in place of Hemidesmus indicus. Saraka bark is adulterated with Polyanthia. In lieu of Piper longam, Balanophora dioca is used. Chirayta (Swertia chirata) is often compared with Andrographis panicuiata, and hence instead of the former latter is used frequently. Convolvulus pluricaulis which is locally known as Shankhpuspi is often replaced by Evolvulus alsinoides.    ’

There are many such plants which are used instead of other similar plants. Sometimes, it is due to the ignorance of the sellers, but generally they adulterate the herbal drugs due to their less or non-availability in their niche.
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Fortunately, there are still some people left who resist being infected by discontent but know how to remain cheerful in spite of difficulties. I remember a very sick farmer’s wife who suffered from multiple sclerosis and had been paralysed for fourteen years. When she achieved a slight improvement with great effort and was able again to use her arms and eat without help from other people, she was so happy and grateful for the fact that she could cope so well with her still deplorable condition. Whenever I had to face some unpleasant jolt such as cannot be avoided on our bumpy earth my mind always returned to this lady and her quiet contentment.

Especially when we are tired we tend to look at the present, future and past with a negative spirit, but this does not contribute to a contented attitude by any means, nor will it provide the basis for restful relaxation and refreshing sleep. Therefore, we would do better to think of all the positive things that have happened to us and are still going on every day; in other words, we should count our blessings. This attitude will allow a pleasant sense of gratitude to enter our heart and will help to restore the mind and body to a state of well-being. We must admit that every person has sufficient grounds to feel upset, to worry and feel unhappy. However, if you place these negative factors on one side of the scales, then the same quantity of active, positive factors should be placed on the other side in order to balance them. So when you feel depressed and beset by problems, think about all the valuable things you have, the good you have been able to do in your life, your successes, the many gifts nature offers you day by day. All these encouraging memories and experiences are able to fill your heart with gratitude so that life’s burdens, all your complaints, appear small indeed.

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So, if one values life, the heart muscle ought to be well cared for. This brings to mind some words of ancient wisdom: ‘More than all else that is to be guarded, safeguard your heart, for out of it come the sources of life.’ Even though these words have a deep symbolic meaning, they indicate nevertheless that our heart is an organ that demands our whole attention, for if the heart fails what else remains but death? When the liver or the kidneys fail the patient is able to stay alive for a little while, but when the heart suddenly stops beating the person will drop as if struck by lightening and death follows instantly. Anyone who has witnessed a case of heart failure is extraordinarily affected by the tragedy -the sudden transformation from life to death. The pathologist will probably say that the heart muscles had been starved of blood for many years and were therefore terribly changed. The information that nicotine had been responsible for the fatal damage is then, unfortunately, no longer of any use. It is too late. Fortunately, it need not come to this, because the mere fact that the effects of nicotine poisoning become apparent long before the possible fatal consequences should make the addict decide to give up the habit before it is too late. Or would it not be better to give up smoking long before disturbances arise?

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It is appropriate to consider this question, since many people hold mistaken views about salt. We were taught in school that a person requires 7 kg (about 14 lb) of salt a year in order to stay alive. It is true that man and beast cannot do without it, although it is also acknowledged that certain diseases demand a low-salt or even a salt-free diet. This apparent contradiction resolves itself when we realise that our salt requirement need not necessarily be obtained from the crystalline kind of salt known as common or table salt, but can equally well come from our food. Cases in point are the inhabitants of the Asiatic steppes and the Indians living at the headwaters of the Amazon River. They have never heard of salt, nor do they have a word for it, but as they could not survive without it, it is obvious that they must cover their requirement by means of their food.

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Bread has always played an important part in our nutrition. It is still on our table today and every day as a staple food. The age-old request ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ illustrates to what extent we depend upon it. We may have an abundance of other foods, but bread remains the foundation of our diet. How much we disliked having it rationed during the war years. Things have changed since then, although the need for good and wholesome bread is as great as ever.    

We know from the history of ancient Rome that their legionaries were issued a certain quantity of wheat every day. Wheat grain can be stored almost indefinitely without losing any of its value, but this is not the case with flour. As soon as the external sheath has been broken and the grain has been milled, the oxygen in the air begins to take effect, and the longer the flour is kept, the more it will lose of its value. The enzymes are probably the first to suffer from such exposure. These are active elements in the grain, for example diastase, which comes to life during the process of germination and changes the starch of the grain into maltose, then dextrose.

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Every year, come autumn and winter in my garden in the Engadine, the little clusters of scarlet barberries between the leafless thorny branches of the berberis shrubs just beg to be harvested. A little earlier it would have been the ripe redcurrants, shining in the autumn sun. So when I am there, I pick some of these berries most days and enjoy their acidic flavour which is due to ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. These berries are, in fact, a natural food for the nerves. Before long, even the slopes facing south become covered in thick snow, and the birds will be daily guests on the shrubs, feasting on the beautiful red, oblong berries in order to obtain their requirements of sugar, minerals and vitamins. The red fruits of the Rosa canina (wild rose), the rose hips, will still be peeping through the snow. When these hips are ripe they are deliciously sweet. Because of their vitamin Ñ content they, too, are a wonderful food for the nerves. No wonder that rose hip puree and barberry puree are a perfect source of vitamins during the bleak winter months. They should be on every table because they fill an important gap in our nutrition, since practically all other foods lose some of their vitamin content during their months of storage. Wild fruits, in the form of fruit puree or conserve, prevent vitamin Ñ deficiency while being tasty and pleasant food. But not only barberries and rose hips are rich in vitamin C, even richer are the berries of sea buckthorn, which grows abundantly in the lower Inn valley, the Tessin and the Maggia valley in my native Switzerland. Their orangy-red colour, bright amongst the olive-green leaves, can be spotted on slopes and along brooks and rivers — a delight to the eyes of every nature lover.

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The pancreas secretes only about one-fifth of the amount of juice produced by the much smaller salivary glands, yet its secretion is much more concentrated and important. As many as four enzymes are secreted into the small intestine immediately adjacent to the bile duct. One of these enzymes, rennin, is also produced in the stomach. It turns milk into curds, a job that is mainly done by the stomach. When the stomach fails to function effectively the pancreas has a marvellous capacity to take on part of the stomach’s work load, since it can produce rennin just as efficiently as the stomach. Diastase, or amylase, changes starches into sugars, such as glycogen, dextrin and maltose. Trypsin, like pepsin, breaks down proteins into peptones and finally into the basic building blocks of protein, amino acids. The fourth enzyme, lipase, together with the bile, hydrolises fats into fatty acids and glycerol. In fact, the body cannot break down, digest and assimilate proteins, starches and fats without the enzymes secreted by the pancreas.

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Intestinal worms should never be considered harmless or their presence accepted as a necessary evil. Although in most cases we are dealing only with threadworms and roundworms, these intestinal parasites can still be quite harmful. The tiny threadworm (Oxyuris vermicularis) is often the cause of much discomfort. These worms, as well as the roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), secrete toxic metabolic substances which are absorbed by the body. The result is a change in the blood composition and an adverse effect on the general condition of the person afflicted. Children with calcium deficiency are especially prone to infestation with worms, which constitutes a double dose of trouble for them since their power of resistance is already low and the damage will thus be magnified.

Today it has become much easier to eradicate these intestinal parasites, in as far as non-poisonous plant remedies are readily available. So do not let them settle in the intestines. Papaya preparations greatly facilitate the eradication of threadworms in the colon and of roundworms which inhabit the small intestine. Papay-asan is made from the tropical plant Carica papaya and is actually able to digest all kinds of worms that settle in the small intestine and the colon. Papaya is a palm-like tree with leaves similar in shape to fig leaves, but much larger. Its fruit, also called papaya, resembles a melon. When ripe it contains only a tiny amount of the vermicide enzyme papain, so it is from other parts of the plant that Papayasan is made.

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The patient should start the day early in the morning by walking barefoot on dewy grass, as recommended by Kneipp. This exercise draws the blood down to the feet and takes into the body the energy obtained from the earth. The result is a wonderful feeling of relief. If the weather does not allow this, paddling or stamping in cold water followed by physical exercises, preferably in the open air, can be done instead. In the course of the exercises, rhythmic movements, singing and vocal breathing exercises will help to disperse any mental blocks and free the inner self.

Breakfast should consist of pure, natural foods: various fruits, wholegrain muesli, wholewheat bread, butter and honey. Avoid the customary breakfast of milky coffee, white bread or rolls, and choose only natural wholefoods which contain the nutrients the body needs.

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Physical therapy is also beneficial. For about half an hour each night a hot and moist compress made with hay flowers and camomile should be applied to the kidney area. Hot sitz baths will also help. If the stones should cause bleeding, the patient should take Millefolium, Hamamelis virg., Echinaforce, Tormentavena and Cantharis 6x.

While carrying out these recommendations take the Rubiaforce treatment. Drink less liquid when taking Rubiaforce tablets. After completing one box of tablets wait a week before starting on another, but during this interval drink as much liquid as possible in order to thoroughly flush out the kidneys and prevent the formation of new gravel or stones. At the end of the week begin to take another box of Rubiaforce tablets; drink limited amounts of a weak kidney tea with Nephrosolid. Follow up with a further week without medication but drinking plenty, as before. The treatment is completed after the third week on tablets and a further week when, again, plenty of liquids are consumed.

Even though the stones will have disappeared after this treatment, it would be wise to repeat it in a shortened form every three months, just to be on the safe side. However, the diet must be watched all the time. If available, a tea made from Chanca piedra, a plant found in the tropical jungles of Peru, will enhance the effectiveness of the Rubiaforce treatment and can be taken in conjunction with it.

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