As herbaceous Babchi seeds sell well in the market, people tend to take great care of these wild plants, according to the traditional medicine market.
Babchi seeds, locally known as Nehle seeds, are used to formulate Chinese and Myanmar traditional medicines.
“They are used to make traditional Chinese and Myanmar medicines. Different merchants sell them in different measurements. Some sell in visses. Sales are good. The price is rising all the time,” said a herbal shop owner from Kyaukse.
Babchi seeds are successfully grown and traded in the villages of Myittha Township, Kyaukse District. They are natural plants that grow among cotton, turmeric, chilli and onion fields and on virgin land in the villages of Ywakhainggyi, Lunkyaw, Matthe, Sahmyaung, Petaw and Daweinn.
With good sales, these plants are being taken care of with irrigation for better production, and the seeds from Kyaukse, Kume, and Myittha are delivered to Mandalay warehouses and China, according to the sellers from Petaw village.
“It grows naturally in Pakokku. If you cut it, it will sprout again. It is locally called “Rozakauk”. Many of such plants grow wild,” a Pakokku local said.
A viss of Babchi seeds costs K 7,000-K 7,200 this year, and the price was K 8,000- K 8,200 at the time of the early harvest.
Babchi plants are used in Indian Ayurveda, Iamila Siddha medicine and Chinese traditional medicine. Buguzhi in Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) is used to treat kidney diseases, bone fractures, knee pain, impotence, bed wetting, hair loss and vitiligo.
It is known as “Babchi” in India and is predominantly used to treat many skin diseases, including psoriasis, leucoderma and leprosy, according to therapeutic records of the traditional medicine. — Thit Taw/zs/ED
