Staying in Himalayan Homestay an opportunity to learn about miracle healing herbs and its ethno-medicine

Himalayan Herbs and herbal medicine  heritage:

  Snake Plant: medicinal plant of Himalaya

The height of the Himalayas are not only the pride of the Himalayan people but equally a privileged of being born in its lap. Nature of the Himalayas endowed its people with huge amount floral and faunal diversity. Among them  medicinal plants of Himalayas are  diverse in portfolio, availability   and usages. Ethno medicinal practices are wide here and has its thousands years old heritage mentioning worth from 'Ayurveda' the ancient science of  wellness and long life.

 Among them huge,  elaborated and elongated mentioned of Himalayan herbs, its doses and uses are edifice by saints and ancient scholars like Charak in his CHARAK SAMHITA and SUSHRUT SAMHITA by Sushrutha. 

Culture of herbal practices in village:

My memory of early childhood reflect the pouch of some medicine kept by my mother safely at the corner of her kitchen drawer, my papa making some medicinal mixture for us and for people from neighbor hood, his stone grinder for making dust and mixtures of herbs, uncle at neighborhood treating bone facture of  villagers using some herbal mixture  and bandages of bamboo sticks. They were doctors for us. It is winter now, they hike to the hill tops approach the alpine forest, high altitude . Its time to collect medicinal herbs for whole summer to treat the various health elements. We use to listen the story of folk healing, some miracle story of healing by folk herbalist. With the passing of the days its seems just a story for us, we entered the new world of allopathic medicine, practices changed, profession changed, lifestyle changed but some deep rooted psychology of folk healing stills hit our mind and conscience. Some times we still practice what our mother use to give for our acute diarrhea and dysentery.. I remember the  herbs use for it. 

The story of folk healing, fun time  picking of some herbs and vegetables  from the forest, the charged memory of our papa went out of the home to collect medicine from the LEKH ( high altitude land in Nepalis language) are playing in the backscreen of my memory. 

My experience of Laxmi Pokhari trek:

It was the November of 2004, I was in university of North Bengal, Law Department, I decided to hike Zongrila 13500 feet peak and Laxmi Pokheri 14500 at the Himalayan range of Kanchanjunga. I was a students, no budget for arranged, planned and organized trekking. I, with one brother from neighborhood decided to left for Zongri treking.  I left my home with backpack. My cousin brother just next to my home was sick and was ridden in bed for last five days with critical illness, fever, diarrhea dysentery, weakness as apparent symptoms but had no ideas what wrong was going with him inside. I entered his bed room to have a look. He whisper. He asked me where are you going? I reply him promptly "Going to LEKH to take medicine for you, don't worry coming soon"  I was kidding. I smile, I left. First day we reach Ravangla, a small town at South Sikkim situated at an altitude of approx 7500 Ft. We stayed three days at Ravangla. Fourth day we reached Youksum, West Sikkim from where we were suppose to start hiking. A small and beautiful valley at the fringe of Kanchenjunga National park. It was full of foreigners gathered for hiking to Zongri, Kanchenjunga base camp, and for other hiking destination of Kanchenjunga range. Surrounding of the town was panoramic by the view of standing and flapping prayer flag, colorful dome tent of hikers, a astonishing ding dong sound of bell fastened to the yaks and horses those used for carrying good of hikers. It was the evening, sky was clear, stars were twinkling, above was the dark deep protected forest, under Kanchenjunga National Park. it amazed me, astonished  me, there were  lot of excitement and thrills. Before I had  heard the story of some foreigners dying on the way to Zongri and Samiti lake due to high altitude sickness. Some short of fear was there.

Day one experience of Zongri Trek:

Next morning we started our hiking. We make our entry at the gate and take all necessary passes for hikers huts at different point on the way. There were no person directly responsible to take care and help us during our trip but there we find busy traffic of hikers, potters, guide horses and yak to and fro. It was easy for us to follow though we had no guide. That evening we reach Choka, a small village on the way hiking for almost all the day. Next morning we proceed for Zongri. We were half the way to Zongri,  the side of the trail was covered with the frost and snow. Day was full of thrill, sometimes it is foggy, some times its clear sky, in front of us were the Himalayan peak standing infinitely in peace, looking like a sharp sword erected.  We reach base to Zongri peak. Stream were frozoned, snow all around, standing ice falling down from from the roof of the tourist hut to the ground. We spent night with all dry food,  roosted maize, ginger and garlic. 

Day 2 of Zongri Treek:

Early morning we hike to the peak of Zongri, we were blessed by the picturesque view of mighty mount Kanchenjunga, mount Pandim, Sinalchu, Tent peak, Mount Kabru, Mount Kumvakarna and many more. For a while we lost in the silence of Himalaya. 

Day 3 to Laxmi Pokheri:

We started to proceed towards Laxmi Pokheri ( lake). following a high altitude barren landscape and trail. All silence. All peaks seems standing swords, sharp and pointed, hardly any sound, no birds, no plants, excepts small dry herbs. I smelled them, herbs are perfumery, perfumed of different nature. Here appear a black giant 

rocky mountain, It was the Black Kabur, black colour mountain. A potters on the way show us a way upwards for Laxmi Pokhari, at the base of Black Kabur. All alone we proceed towards Laxmi Pokhari. A beautiful lake surrounded by prayers flags, in deep silence, fully frozoned, covered by mountain all around, here I entered into a world of greater silence, in a deep meditation, i was excited, but i was lost and nervous, I had no way to express my felling. I sat closer to lake. An idea stroke my mind. For our people Laxmi Pokheri is a holy lake. Its a  pilgrimage for us. They ask for some gift whatsoever returning from pilgrim. I taken out Khukuri ( Nepali Sword) from its cover,  Deeply hit the frozen lake. Ice broke. I filled my empty water bottle with the lake water. We were totally alone and little afraid also of high altitude sickness. If any kind of dizziness or sickness happen there were no one to rescue us. We were having nose bleeding. Doing no late,  with a bottle of water in my back pack we started our downward movement to save ourselves from sickness. Reaching low altitude as soon as possible  was only our target then. We get back. 

Day 9  reaching home:

It was the ninth day, evening 9:30 Pm I reached my uncle home. I thought to have little kidding with my cousin brother whom I left in the condition of acute sickness. It was unfortunate, he was still in bed with his sickness. 'Oh you reach brother? have you taken medicine for me? I was socked with his question? I was feeling sorry to kid with a person sick in bed. I realized my mistake. But I promptly react, yes my brother, I have. I had given him a teaspoon of water taken from the lake, I told him " its a medicine from Himal (Himalaya),  get well soon" I left him,  taken rest at home with all amazing, wonderful and  frightened memory of trip. 

 

Amazing Healing by Lake Water:

It was the next morning, I was sipping my good morning tea at the courtyard. I was surprised. He was my cousin brother, he cheered" what a medicine you given to me" I got heal, no words to express my thanks" what is this actually" 

The Unanswered Miracle from Himalaya:

That  miracle  healing was a breaking news  in the village,  that I had brought  powerful medicine  from the Himal. But for me that was simply water, to serve as gift from holy lake because a kind of believe prevails here but not as medicine. One after another neighbors were visiting me. I had no words to them. They were not in condition to disbelieve it, though i was telling them its nothing but water only from the lake, not a medicine. They were asking for ounce of miracle healing medicine for them.  Every one here are with a small bottle in hand asking for miracle medicine. I shared ounce to each,  the healing miracle.

It is still unanswered, and  I wonder why Himalaya heal.