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Magic plant to reduce environmental threat

Pakistan's agrarian economy is struggling to feed the ever-increasing population. We may haveto look towards the value-addition wild food products, which can fulfill the demands of the

local food sector. Seabuckthorn presents an opportunity to supplement future nutritional needs

By . !smail "han

Seabuckthorn - a thorny bush, abundantly found in Balochistan, NWFP and the Northern Areas,

traditionally being used for mere fencing and fuel, is estimated to have enough vitamin C in itsberries of the orld to meet the dietary re!uirements of the entire human "o"ulation#

Nutritional value aside, Seabuckthorn has been re"orted to contain more than $%& com"oundsin the seeds, "ul", fruit and 'uice# (hese com"ounds carry high medicinal and commercial

value# Seabuckthorn "roducts already constitute billions of dollars orth industry in China,)ussia, "arts of *uro"e and North America# +n neighbouring China, currently around &&

factories are "roducing an e!ual variety of medicinal, cosmetic and food "roducts#

ike elsehere, Pakistan.s mountainous areas have rich natural resources and biological

diversity, and "oor "eo"le have a tremendous sco"e to utilise the free-groing Seabuckthorn

for "overty reduction, as ell as ecological conservation# +n $%%/ a Chinese Seabuckthorne0"ert, Professor u )ongin, after a ra"id assessment of Seabuckthorn groing areas in 1ilgit,

Chitral, Skardu and Sat, he estimated current stock of Seabuckthorn in Pakistan at around

2,&&& hectors, "romising a harvest of $,&&-,3&& tons annually# Professor u mentioned thatPakistan has very suitable habitats and climatic mi0 even for cultivation of Seabuckthorn#

Folloing his assessment, 4inistry of Food and Agriculture in collaboration ith +C+456initiated a demonstration "ro'ect under the National Arid and 6evelo"ment and )esearch

+nstitute# (he "ro'ect achieved decent success in introducing the "lant and its commercialvalue to local farmers, enticing them to manage and market this im"ortant natural resource# A

solvent e0traction "lant as also established to facilitate the farmers in Skardu, here

Pakistan Council of Scientific and +ndustrial )esearch 7PCS+)8 has a huge office# 9oever, dueto the reason best knon to the 4inistry, the "ro'ect as ound u" ithout idely sharing thee0"erience at the national level and ithout any concrete follo u" measures to sustain the

efforts by enabling the farmers and the "rivate sector#

At a time hen Pakistan.s agrarian economy is struggling to feed the ever-increasing mouths,

e may have to look toards the value-addition ild food "roducts in the local food sector#Seabuckthorn "resents an o""ortunity to su""lement future nutritional needs# 5n the other

hand, the cultivation "lant and "rotection of the e0isting stock "rovides an e0cellento""ortunity for sustainable develo"ment to "recariously "oor farmers in the Northern Areas,

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NWFP and Balochistan# (he systemic develo"ment of Seabuckthorn culture ill im"rove theliving conditions of the "oorest of the "oor in more than one ay#

Nutritional :alueFood !uality is already a ma'or issue in both urban and rural areas of the country; traditionalfood ith originality of content stands limited to the rich and fe# Substandard and adulterated

food items even in most remote villages are taking its toll in the sha"e of heart disease, cancerand other terrible sicknesses, "articularly in the agro-based rural communities# Seabuckthorn

"rovides a ho"e for a healthy diet, ith more than $%& com"ounds in the seeds, "ul", fruit and'uice# +t is rich in omega-2 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin *, trace minerals, and other

"hotochemical combination of minerals make the Seabuckthorn an ideal dietary constituent forhealth, and "rovides for e0cellent "roducts like 'uice, 'ellies, marmalades, candies and even

li!ueurs#

Although most of us in this country focuses on ho much is available to eat than hat do eeat# +t can be said that there might be a time, hen e.ll be "aying some attention to

Seabuckthorn and similar natural "roducts for the sake of !uality# +n many develo"edcountries, the .natural food "roducts. industry, hich includes fresh and organic foods andbeverages, dietary su""lements and .all natural. "ersonal health care "roducts are groing at a

steady rate of over $3< annually# 9ala-"uri, Nehari and 9aleem may remain the "leasurefood for our "eo"le in the foreseeable future, hich further necessitate discovery of food

content having some medicinal value#

A classical (ibetan medical book .Sibu =idian. ith four volumes and $3> cha"ters, has thirty

cha"ters deal ith Seabuckthorn.s medicinal usage# .Sibu =idian. as translated into 4ongolianin the $>th century, and as later on translated into many *uro"ean languages, till it as

"ublished in )ussia in St# Petersburg in $%&2# +n $%3, Chinese again got interest in the "lant,and the Sichuan 4edical College led the research ork in (ibet and other "rovinces# (he

Preliminary )esearch Finding on Seabuckthorn berries as "ublished in $%3/# 9oever, it as

only in $%?? that Seabuckthorn received a formal a""roval to market Seabuckthorn asmedicine# From $%>3 to date, Chinese scientific research has "rogressed lea"s and bounds ine0citing discovery of its multi"ur"ose usage# Seabuckthorn has a shiny deciduous leaf and

colorful berries# (he average height of the "lant is about -@m, although some cultivateds"ecies in China have re"ortedly reached over $3m# (he "lants have both male and female

s"ecies; female "lants carry berries, hich are usually orange, yello or reddish in colour and

have a sourish taste# Selection of im"roved fruit varieties have only been carried out for the"ast /& or so years# Cultivated varieties are found in the former #S#S#)#, 4ongolia, 1ermany,

Finland, )ussia, China, Scandinavia, Canada, and some other countries# +n China, fruit is

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harvested from over one million hectares 7#3 million acres8 of ild Seabuckthorn and almost2&&,&&& hectares 7?3&,&&& acres8 of cultivated "lants# +n Canada, over $> hectares of

Seabuckthorn are being "lanted#

4edicinal :alue

Scientists claim that Seabuckthorn contains biologically active substances ith "harmacological

effects on the cardiovascular and immune systems, and anti-senility, anti-inflammation andanti-radiation effects, etc# (he researcher says that Seabuckthorn "roducts are e0tremely

effective to im"rove immunity, normalie metabolism of cholesterol, remove blood stasis, treatgastric ulcer, lever, and cardiovascular and intestinal diseases# Although, research on medical

use of Seabuckthorn 79i""o"hae8 is still going on, but in countries like China, Canada andvarious *uro"ean states, Seabuckthorn is already a "o"ular mode of medication for a range of

diseases# Bioactive oil is being e0tracted from leaves to make ointment for treating a idevariety of skin "roblems such as burns, bedsores, ecema, and radiation# +n )ussia, for

instance, many Chernobyl nuclear disaster victims ere re"ortedly treated ith Seabuckthorn

in $%>/# Seabuckthorn berries are high in essential fatty acids, hich are im"ortant for themaintenance of a healthy skin# (he oil absorbs ultraviolet light, and since the oil is also knon

to be useful for "romoting skin health, it is "articularly suitable for sun-care cosmetics# (he"lant is an e0cellent cure for various kinds of cancers and an effective medicine for, hat has

become Pakistan.s national sickness, blood "ressure

*cological value

Soil and atershed run off are to of the fourteen core areas recommended for im"rovedenvironmental management by the Pakistan.s National Conservation Strategy# Seabuckthorn,

because of its e0tensive root system is an ideal "lant in reclaiming and conserving soil,es"ecially on fragile mountainous slo"es# +t has good resistance to drought and tolerates soil

salinity, e0treme tem"eratures, and ad'usts ell in demanding conditions# +n the NorthernAreas and NWFP, it is usually found along the riverbanks and on the land de"osited by glaciersand streams, there the "lant not only binds the soil, but also "rovides for breaking the

intensity of ind, hich flies aay the fertile soil# (he thorny shrub "rovides refuge to ildlife

and acts as a barrier to "edestrian traffic, "reventing sensitive vegetation from being tram"led#Seabuckthorn carries e0cellent nitrogen-fi0ing ca"abilities, "reventing the loss of soil and

biodiversity, and is also considered usefully resistant to "ests, thus in many cases it limits theuse of "esticides hich are damaging to the environment#

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