Medicinal Plants (Cambodia)
Nomad RSI’s medicinal plants programme contributes to the protection of the knowledge of healing plants used by the Bunongs. The organisation works in collaboration with traditional healers (kruu boran), who are brought together to share their knowledge and experiences. They also work with Nomad RSI to collect plants, roots and seeds of useful plants, establishing medicinal plant gardens within their own villages, and a model one in the regional capital, Sen Monorom.
A crucial aspect of this project is to gain recognition and acceptance of Kruu Boran as valued and legitimate first-level health providers, often the only ones available. Among Bunong communities, illness in general is often understood as created by the anger of spiritual forces. In such cases, traditional healers are often consulted. However, the Bunong do also use biomedicines, which sometimes proves to be very problematic without a basic form of training, and do not rely on a single health system. People use the available medical resources pragmatically. But there is almost no cooperation between both biomedical and traditional health structures at the village level. Traditional healers and their practices are not recognized nor integrated in the national public health system of Cambodia. Today, however, the Ministry of Health, gives official backing, through the National Centre for Traditional Medicine with whom Nomad RSI works closely.
Nomad RSI has published in 2011 the first book on the local healing methods, thanks to funding from the Fond Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM), Traditional therapeutic knowledge of Bunong People in Mondulkiri: Healers, their practices and medicinal plants.
The project links with the anti-malaria and health education activities by developing natural repellents which are known to repel harmful insects including mosquitoes. Research is ongoing to validate their efficacy compared with more familiar and less environmentally-friend chemicals such as Deet. Simple methods such growing plants close to usual infested areas, as well as industrial processing as sprays and coils, are being studied.
The project in many communities has taken on greater urgency as ethnic minorities have lost access to vast areas of forest where they once collected plants. Also, as knowledge is held usually by elders among people who do not have a written language, there is a danger of it being lost. Therefore the Mondulkiri Resource and Documentation Centre will seek to record and document as much of this as possible using audio-visual and computing technology.
NEW : Trek in the forests and discover medical plants of North-eastern Cambodia (fund raising).