Medical Gardens and Plantations

The establishment of medical herb gardens and plantations was a major objective of Sacred Land. The gardens were to be used to cultivation plants used in traditional herbal medicines. The gardens were also intended to provide information on the medical plants and the mountain ecology for visitors and local people alike and be an important source of research into the best ways of protecting the wild plants. Over 7000 species of vascular plants are found in Nepal: 252 are endemic and over 600 are medicinal. Over 150 of these medicinal plants grow naturally in the high lands of the Khumbu.

Although the uses of plants in medicines is highly sophisticated and refined in traditional medicine the cultivation of plants is almost unknown. This is because traditionally plants were collected in the wild in a sustainable way for the use of a small population. Now as the demand for Tibetan, ayavedic and Chinese medicine is increasing so rapidly, it is essential that research be undertaken in how to propagate these precious plants, which are used in all three medical systems.

Devouche

In the small sheltered valley at 3780m just below Tengboche monastery a test medical flower plantation was established by Ms Kate Armstrong, an ethno botanist from America, now working at the Royal Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was successfully maintained for seven years and established the first nursery beds and planted six different kinds of medical herbs.

The garden was in a sheltered and sunny spot and typically rocky. It was surrounded by roddedendrum and birch forest and had water and electricity. As it was on the main trail this garden was perfectly located as an exhibition garden to provide the visitors with information on medical herbs. A tree plantation was also maintained, as deforestation, especially on the northern slopes, is a major problem in the area.

In autumn 2000, H.H. Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche visited Tengboche and opened the Eco-Information Centre at Tengboche Monastery. Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche came to the plantation at Devouche to bless the land and medical plantation and make prayers and aspirations that the project would flourish and benefit many people.

Techo Gardens

Techo is the Tibetan name for the iris flower and in this small sheltered valley the wild irises flourish, as do many other wild herbs. Tengboche Rinpoche has said this is a special valley where the natural elements and spirits are in harmony. The valley is about one hours walk from Namche on the trail going northwest to Thamo Monastery and the passes to Rawling and the Nagpa La to Tibet. At 3400m it is a lower altitude and faces southeast give a very different conditions to Devoche. The dramatic cliffs around protect the area. The land is also rich in minerals, people used to collect salt from around here. Above Techo are the retreat hermitages of Lhado connected with Lama Zopa and Khopan monastery, as well as the nunnery of Khari.

 In Techo we planed a small medical display garden, plantation for the most common herbs and the pharmacy. Medicines should be made in a quite secluded place and not in a busy town so the medicines will all be made here in Techo. The medicines and incense used to be made in a small cave, now we are constructing a simple house. It is also good if the medicines are made by Buddhist monks and nuns. The nuns of Khari are happy to do this. They a very poor, but young and lively community of mostly refugees, with little or no family support. We can help them make a little extra funds for the new prayer hall they are building. However, this project has to wait to be implemented until further funding can be found, .