Custodians of herbal traditional knowledge from Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat got an early Deepawali gift this month as they were granted herbal patents at felicitation programmes held earlier at the University of Kashmir and subsequently at the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Gandhinagar.

In fact, the NIF has already recognised 26 outstanding knowledge holders with herbal patent grants which will facilitate the scaling up of technologies for commercial and social ventures.

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The NIF believes such knowledge protection and recognition can help to advance the scientifically proven herbal practices in terms of technology readiness level and to forge industry partnerships. These collaborative efforts could pave the path towards indigenous cost-effective solutions for public health concerns.

India has been bestowed with rich resources of traditional herbal knowledge systems which are being preserved, sustained by outstanding traditional knowledge holders across the nation enabling sustainability of natural resources. Knowledge holders interact within their ecological system and possess deep understanding of local flora accumulated through experiences, experiments and wisdom.

These practices are tools for solving challenges in human health and agriculture including livestock at their locale. With rising concern on environmental hygiene, antimicrobial resistance, these sustainable practices are gaining importance. Such herbal medicines have to be recognized, scientifically valorised for integration in the health care system.

The NIF has been advocating protection of indigenous knowledge system of the country. It had incubated a large pool of outstanding traditional knowledge practices and protected this wisdom through Intellectual Property (IP) Rights. Several of these technologies were IP protected to create opportunities in scaling up technologies for social benefit. Protecting these health traditions with scientific evidence can augment the link between informal and formal systems for larger social goals.

Such initiatives are also vital for India’s herbal heritage and emphasise the critical requirement for sustainable practices that can foster economic growth and community resilience. These features highlight the importance of safeguarding indigenous knowledge while paving the way towards development of sustainable practices as well as in pharmaceutical development of herbal medicinal products. Encouraging these technologies helps to complement the health system with novel therapeutic/supportive products.

Custodians of herbal traditional knowledge from Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat got an early Deepawali gift this month as they were granted herbal patents at felicitation programmes held earlier at the University of Kashmir and subsequently at the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Gandhinagar.

In fact, the NIF has already recognised 26 outstanding knowledge holders with herbal patent grants which will facilitate the scaling up of technologies for commercial and social ventures.

The NIF believes such knowledge protection and recognition can help to advance the scientifically proven herbal practices in terms of technology readiness level and to forge industry partnerships. These collaborative efforts could pave the path towards indigenous cost-effective solutions for public health concerns.

India has been bestowed with rich resources of traditional herbal knowledge systems which are being preserved, sustained by outstanding traditional knowledge holders across the nation enabling sustainability of natural resources. Knowledge holders interact within their ecological system and possess deep understanding of local flora accumulated through experiences, experiments and wisdom.

These practices are tools for solving challenges in human health and agriculture including livestock at their locale. With rising concern on environmental hygiene, antimicrobial resistance, these sustainable practices are gaining importance. Such herbal medicines have to be recognized, scientifically valorised for integration in the health care system.

The NIF has been advocating protection of indigenous knowledge system of the country. It had incubated a large pool of outstanding traditional knowledge practices and protected this wisdom through Intellectual Property (IP) Rights. Several of these technologies were IP protected to create opportunities in scaling up technologies for social benefit. Protecting these health traditions with scientific evidence can augment the link between informal and formal systems for larger social goals.

Such initiatives are also vital for India’s herbal heritage and emphasise the critical requirement for sustainable practices that can foster economic growth and community resilience. These features highlight the importance of safeguarding indigenous knowledge while paving the way towards development of sustainable practices as well as in pharmaceutical development of herbal medicinal products. Encouraging these technologies helps to complement the health system with novel therapeutic/supportive products.