Herbal garden in the clouds

Compared to other communes in the province, Y Ty has its own characteristics because it is located at an altitude of 1,800 m to over 2,000 m above sea level, where the climate is cool and the forests are wild. In that remote place, 10 years ago, there was a pharmacist from the countryside of Ninh Binh who came to start a business, with the dream of growing a herbal garden in the clouds, helping people reduce poverty with precious medicinal plants from the mountains and forests.

From the old Lao Cai city, we crossed nearly 100 km of winding mountain roads, after nearly 3 hours of motorbike ride we arrived at Y Ty commune. Luckily, when we arrived in Y Ty, it was a beautiful sunny day, cold but no rain or fog.

In the garden on top of Mo Phu Chai slope, a young man wearing muddy work clothes was busy with some women in the village hoeing the soil and planting some kind of tree.

Everyone in the village knows him as Bach Hai Hoan - manager of Y Ty Farmstay - Herbal Garden in the Clouds. However, few people know that 10 years ago he was a student who graduated from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Economics , Hanoi University of Pharmacy, then left his hometown to come to this borderland.

Seeing me coming, Bach Hai Hoan smiled and said: "I and the locals grow pagoda trees to make herbal bath medicine ingredients, serving tourists who come to visit and relax at the farmstay.

Y Ty is a land with many wild medicinal herbs, with a climate and soil suitable for medicinal plants to grow. However, in recent years, local people have exploited a lot to sell to traders, so some medicinal herbs are gradually decreasing, and the quantity is also limited, so it is necessary to plant to preserve and develop a wider raw material area.

Taking me to visit the garden, the young man surnamed Bach introduced many precious medicinal plants that he is preserving and propagating, including some very rare medicinal plants such as: Coptis chinensis, Coptis chinensis, red Coptis chinensis, Panax pseudoginseng, seven-leafed gypsum, prickly pear... In addition, in the garden of about 2 hectares, there are dozens of other medicinal herbs such as: honeysuckle, ivy, fan palm, angelica, coix seed, and pagoda umbrella...

There are herbs that I heard and saw for the first time such as: devil's whiskers, cotyledon, dry grass, flower pepper... There are also species that I have heard of but saw for the first time in the garden such as: burnt rice, hairy pennywort, dwarf dandelion... Even so, Bach Hai Hoan can recite the name of each species, from the scientific name to the local name in Ha Nhi language.

Talking to me, Bach Hai Hoan said: Indeed, Y Ty is a treasure trove for those who are passionate about medicinal herbs. Because here there are many precious medicinal herbs that few people know about. There are small plants that few people pay attention to, but are precious medicines.

He then told a story about a time when he went down to Choan Then village to play and accidentally discovered a clump of wild plants that people had uprooted and thrown away on the side of the road. Being a person who loves plants and knows many medicinal plants, he was curious to see and was overjoyed when he realized it was a species of Guizhou prickly pear, also known as chestnut persimmon.

Prickly pear is a wild plant growing in the mountains of Guizhou (China), with yellow fruit, known as the "King of Vitamin C", because it has many times more Vitamin C than other fruits. This is a precious medicinal herb, beneficial for the digestive system and enhances resistance, prevents and supports cancer treatment, anti-aging and many other uses, so many people are looking to buy it. He picked up the prickly pear tree and brought it back to the garden to replant and propagate it to preserve this rare plant species.

Sharing about the opportunity to come to Y Ty to build a herbal garden in the clouds, Mr. Bach Hai Hoan recalled: “10 years ago, after graduating from Hanoi University of Pharmacy, I was still wondering where to apply for a job, then my teacher, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Van On - former Head of the Department of Botany, Hanoi University of Pharmacy, guided me to the Northwestern mountainous provinces to learn about precious medicinal herbs such as angelica, chuan khung, panax notoginseng... When I came to Y Ty, the majestic beauty of the mountains and forests and the richness of medicinal herbs in this land kept me here. I remember the first days coming here in winter, right when the snow fell and covered the mountains and forests, we shivered from the cold, had to dig in the snow to find radishes to eat, the hardship was indescribable, yet I have been attached to Y Ty for a full 10 years now...”.

With a passion for herbs, Bach Hai Hoan has worked hard to learn, research, and collect dozens of plant species to preserve, propagate, and provide to those with similar interests. Not only that, he also hopes to help local people reduce poverty and increase income from the precious medicinal plant warehouse of Y Ty.

In 2018, Bach Hai Hoan established the Y Ty Medicinal Herbs Cooperative with the participation of 13 members who are local people, in the form of capital contribution or land contribution for production. The cooperative also rented 2 hectares of land from local people for 30 years to develop medicinal herb areas combined with a farmstay model to welcome tourists to stay, relax, and take care of their health...

Along with preserving and propagating many indigenous herbs, the Y Ty Medicinal Herbs Cooperative also purchases and processes a number of medicinal herbs to serve market needs. Angelica is a precious medicinal plant, rich in nutrients, and has very good health-enhancing effects. Previously, angelica was widely grown in Y Ty under a number of projects. However, when the project ended, angelica encountered difficulties in output, so people were no longer interested in growing it. Recently, Bach Hai Hoan has successfully tested the process of drying angelica root in slab form that can be preserved for a long time and has an attractive flavor, favored by many customers.

Many times in Y Ty, I was familiar with the angelica plant that people often bring to the market to sell. The root can be used to cook delicious bone soup, and the leaves and shoots can be stir-fried with buffalo or beef for a distinctive flavor. However, this was the first time I saw dried angelica root. Each piece of angelica after drying is no longer white like the fresh root but turns golden yellow, with a honey-like aroma. Bach Hai Hoan said: "Because there is no large-scale drying factory, each year the Y Ty Medicinal Materials Cooperative can only purchase about 6 tons of fresh angelica and dry 1 ton of dried angelica to supply the market. In addition, the Cooperative also produces angelica extract, which is very convenient for users because it only needs to be mixed with water to enjoy."

Walking around Y Ty Farmstay, I found that although the land is large, the planning of the farmstay is still difficult. Bach Hai Hoan said: The farmstay has a number of rooms and 5 herbal baths to serve tourists. However, in recent times, the road to Y Ty has been difficult, so the number of visitors has decreased, affecting the maintenance of operations. Although the garden has been planned into conservation areas for each type of plant (medicinal plants, agricultural plants, flowers, etc.), but due to lack of funds, investment in the subdivisions is limited. In the coming time, when the connecting roads to Y Ty are completed, the Cooperative will re-plan the model garden for tourists to visit and experience.

Talking more with the young man named Bach from Ninh Binh, we found out that he had become a citizen of Y Ty and this land had become his second home. It turned out that after a short time of being in Y Ty, the young man with a passion for herbs met his "other half" - the Ha Nhi girl Trang Tha De. When they learned that De also studied pharmacy at Lao Cai Medical College, the two understood each other better and held hands to build a home right on the land of clouds and sky of Y Ty. Now, every day, Bach Hai Hoan is absorbed in the herbal garden in the clouds, while De opens a pharmacy at Y Ty market. Although life is still difficult, both of them try to build a bright future.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/vuon-thao-duoc-tren-may-post885919.html