Medicinal herbs are not only raw materials for making medicine.

Tourists experience mushroom picking in Da Lat

From his research, Dr. Nguyen Cao Cuong - Head of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Yersin University of Dalat, shared: “Lam Dong has many natural advantages: climate, terrain, soil... very favorable for the growth and development of flora, including rare and endemic medicinal species. The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Yersin University of Dalat has also successfully researched and prepared a number of products from Lam Dong medicinal herbs such as: Ngoc Linh ginseng essential oil, Cordyceps brown rice tea, Ngoc Linh ginseng wine, burn gel, cough syrup, herbal tea...”. According to Dr. Nguyen Cao Cuong, the products researched and produced by him and his colleagues in the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy are strongly endemic to Da Lat - Lam Dong. Initially, the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Yersin University of Dalat supplied the market with 25,000 Ngoc Linh ginseng balm products, 2,000 Ngoc Linh ginseng wine products, 1,000 cordyceps brown rice products, about 500 burn treatment gel products... and received positive feedback from customers. This is an open direction for Lam Dong medicinal herbs, not only affirming the important role in research and production (pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food...), but also bringing economic benefits to people from planting, caring for, protecting, and harvesting medicinal herbs to supply to the pharmaceutical industry.

According to pharmacist Duong Kim Thoa ( Ho Chi Minh City), for a long time, we have stopped at the thought of only considering medicinal herbs as raw materials used to make medicine. In fact, medicinal herbs can also be processed into dishes, produced cosmetics... to develop the medicinal herbs economy.

According to pharmacist Thoa, many dishes made from medicinal herbs are popular with tourists. For example, in Da Lat, there is artichoke soup stewed with pork leg. In addition, Da Lat also has a dish developed from medicinal mushrooms that is also very popular with tourists. Not to mention, the rich source of medicinal herbs of the indigenous community of the Central Highlands in Lam Dong is an interesting experience for tourists about the living environment, indigenous knowledge, and lifestyle of the indigenous people of the Central Highlands. "Let's imagine this, tourists will experience the entire process from searching for medicinal herbs, harvesting medicinal herbs to preparing dishes, then enjoying the dishes with the indigenous people of the Central Highlands, listening to the residents here talk about the uses and medicinal properties of each medicinal herb, how to "prepare medicine" for healthy people... how interesting it would be", said pharmacist Duong Kim Thoa. Medicinal food, medicinal cosmetics... will contribute to improving the livelihoods of people in medicinal areas, while helping to preserve, maintain and develop indigenous cultural values, as well as protect the biodiversity of medicinal plants.

Dr. Nguyen Cao Cuong shared more: To develop the medicinal economy, the key task here is to increase investment in research, reorganize the medicinal industry in all stages (original seed sources, chain production, deep processing, quality preservation...), create a chain linking planting - production - distribution - tourism on the basis of sharing benefits, forming medicinal tourism experience spots...

“In the immediate future, we need to change our approach and not consider medicinal herbs as just raw materials for making medicine. Medicinal herbs also create other values such as cuisine, culture, genetic resources... that need to be protected, promoted, and developed,” pharmacist Duong Kim Thoa emphasized.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/xa-hoi/202506/duoc-lieu-khong-chi-lam-nguyen-lieude-bao-che-thuoc-1dc7710/