The department of Phytopharmacy and Phytomedicine at the JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty will conduct three days national workshop on Potentials of Medicinal plants at the Niligiri Hills from December 8 to 10, 2011. The theme of the workshop is ‘An ethnomedical approach to herbal drug development’. The program is sponsored by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi.

The aim of the programme is to provide a timely forum for the exchange and dissemination of newer ideas and techniques among the researchers in the field of botanical medicine of ethnomedical importance and focused on conservation of medicinal plants on Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR). NBR is the first biosphere reserve set up in India covering an area of 5500 sq km in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

On December 8 noon, Dr V T Kandasamy, conservator of forests, Coimbatore will inaugurate the function. From 2 pm onwards scientific sessions will be started.

On December 9, the participants will visit Organic Cultivation of Medicinal Plants at Doddabetta and some primitive tribal settlements and have interactions with tribal medicine men.

On December 10, the factory manager of Sterling Biotech, Ooty will deliver a speech on herbal drugs. There will be practical demonstration on preparation of tribal medicines as part of the programme. Research scientists and professors of pharmacy from different pharmacy colleges will speak on various subjects during these days.