In India, herbs play an everyday role hardly equalled anywhere in the world. From the tropical green south to the mountains of the northern Himalayas, herbs lend fragrence to joss sticks and soaps, and flavor to the cuisine. And, above all, herbs heal. Six thousand varieties of plants are used in India, and most are harvested in the wild – where they are becoming depleted. The ever rising need for herbal medicine for the subcontinent’s 1.3 billion inhabitants comes on top of the demand of its growing middle class for herbal-based cosmetics. As a result, certain herbs have become scarce, while others have already vanished entirely. Most of the herbs in India are harvested in the wild. The progress of first cultivation attempts is slow. In India, the rural population, especially, needs affordable, well-tolerated medicine – medicine based on herbs. In Kerala, the film shows a family operation that hand-produces …
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