Medicinal Plants awareness Programme

Medicinal Plants
awareness Programme & Exhibition

Amirta Vidyashramam,
Chennai

14^th and
15^th Nov 2008

Amirta Vidyashramam,
Nesapakkam Chennai had an inter school science exhibition for CBSE
schools at their campus on 14^th and 15^th Nov
2008 with the theme ‘Our Earth’. Centre for Traditional
Medicine and Research (CTMR) was requested to conduct a medicinal
plants exhibition and an awareness programme. A permanent Medicinal
Plant demo garden with 35 species of Safe Medicinal plants for common
ailments to be used as a Self- help Kit was organized by CTMR. All
the Plants were properly labeled with information to serve as
educative materials for time to come. Prof. S.K. Seshadri of the
Metallurgy Dept of Indian Institute of Technology Chennai was the
chief guest. Prof. Subramanian, Former Principal of Vivekananda
College and Prof. Balasubramanian Dept. of Chemistry offered
felicitation in the Inaugural session. Dr. T.Thirunarayanan,
Secretary of CTMR delivered a lecture on stressing how the earth and
our human body are made of the same five primordial elements and
how plant medicine is important, they being safe,
cost-effective and from renewable resources. The health benefits of
the thirty five plants in the school garden, key to identify them,
methods of propagation, use and how to use were explained to them
with a visual presentation. Dr. I. Saira Banu, Senior Research
Fellow( Siddha) of CTMR clarified the doubts of the individual
students along with Dr.T.Thirunarayanan. Over 400 students took part
in the session.

On 15^th Nov
2008 afternoon, Dr. R.Padmapriya, Research associate- Traditional
Nutrition and Dr. Joseph Maria Adikalam, Entomologist took part in
the interactive session with the Senior students of the School. This
lively programme made an real impact on the children to maintain
healthy food habit as recommended by Siddha medicine. Children posed
very challenging questions like ‘Why are the healthy
foods recommended by current day nutritionist are not tasty’
‘If current fast foods are called Junk then what is the
healthy, tasty alternative snack food available for children at
affordable cost in every neighborhood stores ?’. Dr. Padmapriya
gave options of Traditional Snacks food with good nutritional value
and taste that could be prepared at home. The School requested for an
exclusive session for parents and teachers to be organized by CTMR.

CTMR thanks the
excellent coordination by Mrs. Viswanathan, Principal and Mrs.Neelam
Jaiswal – Biology teacher of the Amirta Vidyashramam.