17 April 2020, NIICE Commentary 4134
Aditya Kant Ghising
The world is currently undergoing a drastic readjustment on various fronts. Academics and world leaders have regarded the current COVID-19 pandemic as the worst global crisis since the onset of the Second World War. What is even more alarming is the fact that the global economy has already begun to make necessary adjustments for a looming recession. Whether this new recession will be as severe as the last financial crisis of 2007-08 is yet to be determined. It is however, true that given the rapid expansion of globalization in the last few decades, much like the rest of the world, South Asia would be severely affected, especially amidst the ongoing disruptions in the global value and supply chains.
India and Nepal have a lot to soldier through in times of such crisis. The former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru once remarked, “Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage that they force us to think.” As the pandemic would eventually start to contract, India and Nepal should start exploring avenues aimed at, apart from meeting other ends, preparing for a future epidemic along similar lines. One of the things the current pandemic has taught the world is the value of immunity-boosting medicinal commodities in times of acute healthcare crisis. Governments from around the world have come up with recommendations on boosting one’s immunity to prevent the hazardous effects of the novel Coronavirus. Various studies in the past have shown that Nepal, particularly its western parts as well as northern and north-eastern Indian states, are blessed with abundant resources and ecological landscapes suitable for medicinal plant growth, which has significantly altered the field of traditional medicines in the region. Honey from the stingless bee (putka ko maha), Cordyceps Sinensis also known as caterpillar fungus or yartsa-gunbu, mugwort and banmara are only a few of the numerous examples of medicinal extracts that can be found in the region. Their usage is based mostly in indigenous therapies and ethno-pharmacological purposes which have eventually become highly valuable in the pharmaceutical sector over time. A 2017 study published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, titled “Ethno-medicinal Uses of Honey of Stingless Bee by Nepali Community of Darjeeling Foothills of West Bengal, India”, shows that honey from a stingless bee can help fight diseases such as fatigue/weakness, asthma, breathing problems and tuberculosis, as well as aid in the development of infant immune functions. Out of these, symptoms such as fatigue and breathing problems are associated with the current COVID-19 disease. Again, this is only one of the many benefits of one of the many traditionally used medicines in the region.
The current pandemic calls for an enhancement of policies aimed at regulating trade in these items, as well as for funding further research and explorations in the field of traditional medicines. Nepal and India could very well be champions of the cause, especially through increased cooperation. Serious geopolitical bottlenecks in the relationship have hampered the proper implementation of bilateral policies aimed at research and trade in traditional medicines between the two countries. For example in Sikkim, the trade in caterpillar fungus, obtained largely from its northern areas, is largely unregulated. It is a medicinal item very much in demand for its immunity boosting properties and is valued at USD 50,000 a pound, or INR 3,839,500 for half a kilogram, in 2020. Certain other northeastern states of India like Manipur and Meghalaya are blessed with plants and herbs known to prevent and even cure diseases like cancer. These are largely untapped even today. Active cooperation between India and Nepal, and perhaps even with China, in this regard with policies streamlined for increase in research, promotion, investments and trade could change things for the better. The population living on both the sides of the border have been using these herbs and plants to treat various life-threatening diseases for generations, and their professional involvement in the traditional medicine field can help human life much beyond the limited region.
Historically, health care has been relatively immune from economic recessions, as people get sick during both good and bad times and the demand for medical care is relatively constant across the business cycle. Taking a closer look at the potential of traditional medicines is also necessitated by the fact that many manufacturing firms in Asia heavily rely on imported intermediate inputs from China and other countries affected by the disease. The Global Economic recession caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as the restrictions imposed on transportation, will result in drastic impacts on some global companies, particularly those involved in the processes of manufacturing and raw material generation. Hence, small and medium scale industries focusing on traditional medicines, which rely on locally grown plants and herbs, and may not be affected as much by global recessions even in the future.
There has been a lot of interest in traditional systems of medicine for the last few decades. However, the lack of policy implementation at the grassroots level has significantly hampered their supply. Legalizing trade in some of these medicinal plants and herbs needs to be focused on, and this is where the governments of India and Nepal could start. Close to the border between the two countries, the state of Sikkim in northeast India has already earned a good reputation for groundbreaking developments in the pharmaceutical sector. Moreover, an increased focus on collaborative research in this field between educational institutions in India and Nepal would open the floodgates for easier access to pharmaceuticals and traditional medicines in the near future. As this COVID-19 has demonstrated, a pandemic in the 21st century would have very serious global ramifications permeating everything, from social norms to international politics. In the future, the level of casualties could be significantly reduced with the right policy decisions taken today.
