Preserving culture, developing medicinal herbs: New direction of Ninh Binh province

SKĐS - With abundant resources and favorable natural conditions, Ninh Binh is developing medicinal plants into an economic sector, not only increasing people's income but also creating a foundation for health care and resort tourism.

Developing medicinal herb growing and processing areas according to value chain

Ninh Binh is a locality with rich and diverse medicinal plant resources. In recent years, the province has identified the development of medicinal plants as one of the important directions to promote the advantages of land and climate, while contributing to the preservation of traditional medical knowledge.

Many cooperatives specializing in growing, processing and trading medicinal products have been established in the province. Typically, Dong Son Medicinal Cooperative (Trung Son ward) specializes in growing cajuput trees and distilling essential oils; Khanh Cong Mushroom and Medicinal Cooperative (Khanh Trung commune) with a planting area of ​​15 hectares; Nam Son Medicinal Production and Processing Cooperative launched at the end of 2024, focusing on safe production, ensuring quality, aiming to connect the local medicinal product consumption market.

Developing medicinal plants is one of the important directions to promote advantages of land and climate, while contributing to preserving traditional medical knowledge. Illustrative photo.

Among them, Yen Son Medicinal Herbs Production and Consumption Cooperative (Yen Son Ward) is a typical model for the transformation of production towards modernity. From the initial small areas, the Cooperative has now expanded the growing area to 16 hectares, with plants of high economic value such as Solanum procumbens, turmeric, Polygonum multiflorum, Polyscias fruticosa, ginger, Chinese yam, and Cyperus rotundus...

Mr. Le Ngoc Trinh, Director of Yen Son Medicinal Herbs Production and Consumption Cooperative, said that with his family's traditional profession of producing medicinal herbs, combined with learning more about how to grow medicinal plants, in 2013, he started growing medicinal plants such as Solanum procumbens, turmeric, Polyscias fruticosa, and Polygonum multiflorum on an area of ​​nearly 2 hectares.

Initially, the cooperative operated on a small scale, with low production efficiency, and the processed products had no brand on the market. After establishing the cooperative, he and his members called on local people to grow medicinal plants so that the cooperative could purchase raw products. Up to now, after nearly 4 years of establishment, the number of members has increased to nearly 60, and the total area of ​​medicinal plants has increased to 16 hectares. Main products such as yellow turmeric starch, black turmeric starch pills, polygonum multiflorum pills, and green tea extract... are produced in a closed process, ensuring food hygiene and safety.

The formation of concentrated medicinal herb growing areas and the model of linked cooperatives have helped Ninh Binh initially create a complete medicinal herb value chain - from cultivation, preliminary processing to deep processing. This is the foundation for the province to build a Ninh Binh medicinal herb brand and at the same time create opportunities to transform the livelihoods of people in rural areas.

Combining medicinal development with health tourism

Not only focusing on production, Ninh Binh also aims to combine the development of medicinal plants with health care, resort and medical tourism, a type that is attracting the interest of many domestic and foreign tourists.

Sinh Duoc craft village, Ninh Binh province is developing experiential tourism and eco-tourism by exploiting its strengths in herbs and natural landscapes to attract tourists.

The province has built Nguyen Minh Khong herbal garden, which gathers hundreds of precious plants such as yellow camellia, ash chrysanthemum, black xạ, blood dragon, honeysuckle, asparagus, magnolia, ophiopogon... The garden is not only a place to preserve and research indigenous medicinal herbs but also becomes an experiential tourism destination, helping visitors learn more about medicinal plants and traditional oriental medicine.

One of the highly appreciated models is the "Meditation - Medicine" tour, which combines meditation, yoga, tea tasting and learning about traditional medicine used in daily life. The program helps tourists experience the value of traditional medicine in comprehensive health care, nourishing the body - mind - spirit.

According to the Ninh Binh Province Tourism Development Strategy for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, the province focuses on developing resort and medical tourism associated with green and sustainable tourism. The local government is prioritizing infrastructure investment and encouraging businesses to build resorts and health care centers using indigenous medicinal herbs as the main products.

Combining medicinal plant development with tourism not only helps to increase the economic value of medicinal plants but also opens up a new direction for Ninh Binh tourism. At the same time, this is also a solution to preserve precious medicinal plant resources, preserve the cultural identity of Oriental medicine and promote the image of Ninh Binh - the land of nature, health and spiritual recovery.

With the right direction, Ninh Binh medicinal herbs are gradually becoming a high-value industry, contributing positively to local economic development, while creating a foundation for the formation of a modern, sustainable medicinal herbs industry, linking traditional medicine and health care tourism in the new era.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/giu-gin-van-hoa-phat-trien-duoc-lieu-huong-di-moi-cua-tinh-ninh-binh-16925110816515852.htm