They see currency in the herbs and medicinal plants that they gather. For the members of nearly 30 self help groups the collecting and supplying herbal plants for preparing medicines has become a money spinner that has facilitated them to own share capital of nearly Rs. 4.95 lakhs in a company involved in marketing the plants.

The women members of these SHGs fan out to the interior parts of south Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and spend eight hours on an average per day collecting herbs. Sometimes, they would collect the produce from farmers who raise such medicinal plants.

The women’s resourcefulness in promoting themselves as local traders caught the attention of the Bangalore-based Gram Mooligai Company Limited – a consortium of non-governmental organizations.

“We organized the women into groups and decided to market the medicinal plants on their behalf,” says G. Raju, GMCL’s Managing Director, “We imparted training on harvesting, handling and how to maintain the moisture content,” he adds.

Speaking to this newspaper, Mr. Raju said as per a tie-up arrangement with The Himalaya Drug Company, his firm supplied herbal plants obtained from such groups. Eclipta Alba, Phyllanthus Amarus, Cyprus Rotundas and Neem leaves are some of the medical plants gathered by the groups of which two are for men. These herbs are used by Himalaya to manufacture products for various aches and ailments.

With the collection of herbs turning a new leaf in the lives, the SHG members earn atleast Rs. 3500 per family per month during peak season thanks to tie-up package with Himalaya. The groups in Tamil Nadu collect from Madurai, Natham, Theni and Virudhunagar areas.

“We store about 1.5 tons of plants and dispatch them to Himalaya,” he says. Much of their area of operation is on non-forest lands, especially farms, revenue wasteland, pond areas and poromboke lands. At Madurai, the Covenant Centre for Development – NGO coordinates with GMCL in marketing. “We purchase several tons of medicinal plants from GMCL annually depending upon our market growth,” says Dr. S.K.Mitra, Executive Director, Research and Technical Services, The Himalaya Drug Company.