THANH HÓA — A project on preserving and developing two valuable species of medicinal plants is being implemented in the Pù Hu Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hóa, said the reserve’s management board.

The two species, Indian mulberry (Morinda officinalis) and Amomum Longiligulare T.L.Wu, grow in only five areas of the reserve and are in need of preservation.

The project will be implemented from now until 2020, during which the reserve’s management board will conduct research on the conditions of the plants and the threats to their existence in 20 villages in the area, said reserve director Nguyễn Phương Đông.

“We will grow the species ourselves and carefully track their growth and development,” he said.

Forty knowledge-sharing conferences will be held in 40 villages in the reserve’s buffer zone to raise awareness and heighten commitment on protecting the plants, he added. Maps, documentaries, posters and educational materials will be created and distributed at schools and among the community, he said.  

The project is of utmost importance since the natural distribution of the two species is shrinking and the number of plants is decreasing, Đông added.

It will also help to protect forest resources, restore vegetation and increase forest cover within the reserve’s area, he said.

Indian mulberry is often found in the northern province of Lạng Sơn, Vĩnh Phúc, Hòa Bình in Việt Nam. It is used in treatment of kidney failure, impotence, rheumatism and neurasthenia.

Amomum Longiligulare T.L.Wu is often found in mountainous areas and used as a catalyst to stimulate digestion, curing stomach aches and other digestive problems. — VNS