NEIST and CSIR situated at Lamphelpat, Imphal create herbal medicine development landmark

By Jinendra Maibam
IMPHAL, Jan 8: The North East Industrial Scientific Technology (NEIST) and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, (CSIR), substation Lamphelpat, Imphal in a joint venture have achieved a milestone in developing herbal based medicines using the numerous widely found medicinal herbs and plants from Manipur.
The NEIST and CSIR have successfully manufactured two herbal base ointments namely “Anti Arthritis” and “Fungi-Destruct” and are all set to release the product in the local market very soon. The only bottleneck remaining is the manufacturing license, which is yet to be issued by the concerned health department.
Talking to IFP, a scientist in charge of the CSIR and NEIST, Lamphel, H. Birkumar Singh, informed that they had applied for drug manufacturing license to the Health department of Manipur on August 2, 2010 under the Rule 157 of the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules 1945.
Subsequently, the Director of Health Service Manipur sent an inspection team for survey of the undertaking, said H. Birkumar expressing his optimism that the NEIST and CSIR will soon start production of the two ointments.
The venture for manufacturing the two ointments begin last year in the month of February under the supervision of the CSIR and NEIST, with its head quarter based at Jorhat, Assam. They made the breakthrough in the month of July when the clinical lab test was approved by CSIR labs at Jorhat and its different units located through out the country.
Once the manufacturing license is issued the manufacturing unit which will be base at Lamphelpat Imphal, will be targeting to produce about 10,000 tube each per month. However the market price is yet to be ascertained as of now.
Each Anti Anthritis contains 2.5 percent Eucalyptus sp Oil, 1 percent Homolomena aromatica Oil, 1 percent of Eryngium Foetidum Oil, while the Anti Funfal- Desturct, (or Anti bacterial) Ointment contains 1.5 person of Cymbopogon sp Oil, 0.5 percent of Xyanthosylum sp oil, 1 percent of Eucalytus cltriodra, 0.5 percent of Persia Bomlycina Oil.
99 percent of the raw material are available in Manipur said H. Birkumar and further asserted that of the raw materials required the Homolomena aromatica herbs is found only in the North Eastern Region of India. In Manipur the herbs is found in Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Jiribam sub-division.
At the same time, H. Birkumar, maintained that Homolomena Aromatica is smuggled out from Manipur through Jiribam and sold to dealers from Silchar at the rate of 5 to 7 Rupees per KG. Later the extracted oil from Silchar is sold at Kolkata at the rate of Rupees 3,500 per KG.
Further it is informed that to extract one KG of Oil (by the Scientist) of Homolomena Aromatica about 70 KGs quantity of the herb is required.
The scientist further noted that there are more valuable medicinal herbs and plants yet to be explored. Among some of the valuable medicinal plants “Taxus Baccata” a rare plant used for producing anti-cancer is confirmed to have found in Ukhrul district of Manipur. Taxus Baccata is only found in Himalayan range of India and it is widely used in treatment of Breast cancer and Oval cancer. Viewing the rich bio-diversity hot spot H. Birkumar appealed the public to avoid wide spread de-forestation that could destroy the rich natural resources of Manipur.