Dragon Time Fall 03 : Page 6

Photo by Garnet Dupuis R 6 Dragon Herbs founder takes a historic journey to the previously closed Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and after numerous meetings with government officials, he establishes the first outlet to the world for dozens of extraordinary, wild and organically grown herbs on Teeguarden spent a week this past June visiting the Kingdom of Bhutan, participating in discussions with various herbalists, government officials, scientists, farmers and business people regarding the herbal resources of Bhutan. He also had the opportunity to visit various extraordinary herbal and cultural sites in a number of regions of Bhutan. Bhutan – the last Shangri-La The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has remained hidden from the world for over sixteen centuries. By imperial decree, the kingdom has refused to open up to the rest of the world and has maintained an exquisite isolation. To this day, there is not a single traffic light in the entire Kingdom of Bhutan! It is also the least polluted sovereign nation in the world. Bhutan has been known variously in history by the Tibetans and other Himalayan peoples of the as the “Garden of the Gods”, the “Paradise to the South” and the “Land of Ten Thousand Herbs”, and is often called “the last Shangri-La” by people who have heard tales of its lush and awesome beauty and of its remarkable society and culture. To those living in this secluded mountain refuge, the land is known as Druk Yul – the “Land of the Thunder Dragon.” An botanist’s paradise From time immemorial, Bhutan has been the traditional source of raw material supply to the Tibetan indigenous medical practice. Bhutan can boast of having a very high diversity of medicinal plants, which grow from the sub-tropical foothills on the border with India to the high alpine meadows on the north- ern border with Tibet. With 72% coverage of forests, and its diverse climates ranging from sub-tropical rain forests all way up to alpine peaks, the entire kingdom is a botanist’s and herbalist’s par- adise. Thousands of species of medicinal and tonic plants can be found in the forests, valleys and mountains. Over two thousand species of medicinal plants have been identified, and thousands of others are used by the people and by local shaman. Several of these herbs, including cordyceps, ginseng and reishi mushroom, currently play a major role in Chinese tonic herbalism, which has now become a fundamental part of modern herbal practice throughout the world. world’s largest “organic garden” The government of Bhutan is attempting to manage its abundant and impressive ecological treasures at the same time as it merges its culture and economy into the world at large. The country has been both guided and protected by policies that are protectionist. The end result to date is a geographically seclud- ed, stable ecosystem, extraordinarily rich in natural resources. The air,water and soil in Bhutan are absolutely pristine.All the water in Bhutan is glacial water, running off some of the highest peaks in the world. The air contains virtually no pollu- tants. The soil throughout Bhutan is virtually free of herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals or other pollutants, since these harmful materials have never been allowed in Bhutan. Bhutan is virtual- ly the world’s largest “organic garden.” All herbal resources are currently strictly controlled by the government, and no manufacture or export can occur without government approval and participation. Studies are being con- ducted by the government on an ongoing basis to insure that no A remarkable vision – sustaining the

RON TEEGUARDEN DISCOVER HERBALS OF GARDEN OF EDEN

Garnet Dupuis

Dragon Herbs founder takes a historic journey to the previously closed Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and after numerous meetings with government officials, he establishes the first outlet to the world for dozens of extraordinary, wild and organically grown herbs ROn Teeguarden spent a week this past June visiting the Kingdom of Bhutan, participating in discussions with various herbalists, government officials, scientists, farmers and business people regarding the herbal resources of Bhutan. He also had the opportunity to visit various extraordinary herbal and cultural sites in a number of regions of Bhutan. Bhutan – the last Shangri-La The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has remained hidden from the world for over sixteen centuries. By imperial decree, the kingdom has refused to open up to the rest of the world and has maintained an exquisite isolation. To this day, there is not a single traffic light in the entire Kingdom of Bhutan! It is also the least polluted sovereign nation in the world. Bhutan has been known variously in history by the Tibetans and other Himalayan peoples of the as the “Garden of the Gods”, the “Paradise to the South” and the “Land of Ten Thousand Herbs”, and is often called “the last Shangri-La” by people who have heard tales of its lush and awesome beauty and of its remarkable society and culture. To those living in this secluded mountain refuge, the land is known as Druk Yul – the “Land of the Thunder Dragon.” An botanist’s paradise From time immemorial, Bhutan has been the traditional source of raw material supply to the Tibetan indigenous medical practice. Bhutan can boast of having a very high diversity of medicinal plants, which grow from the sub-tropical foothills on the border with India to the high alpine meadows on the northern border with Tibet. With 72% coverage of forests, and its diverse climates ranging from sub-tropical rain forests all way up to alpine peaks, the entire kingdom is a botanist’s and herbalist’s paradise. Thousands of species of medicinal and tonic plants can be found in the forests, valleys and mountains. Over two thousand species of medicinal plants have been identified, and thousands of others are used by the people and by local shaman. Several of these herbs, including cordyceps, ginseng and reishi mushroom, currently play a major role in Chinese tonic herbalism, which has now become a fundamental part of modern herbal practice throughout the world. A remarkable vision – sustaining the world’s largest “organic garden” The government of Bhutan is attempting to manage its abundant and impressive ecological treasures at the same time as it merges its culture and economy into the world at large. The country has been both guided and protected by policies that are protectionist. The end result to date is a geographically secluded, stable ecosystem, extraordinarily rich in natural resources. The air, water and soil in Bhutan are absolutely pristine. All the water in Bhutan is glacial water, running off some of the highest peaks in the world. The air contains virtually no pollutants. The soil throughout Bhutan is virtually free of herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals or other pollutants, since these harmful materials have never been allowed in Bhutan. Bhutan is virtually the world’s largest “organic garden.” All herbal resources are currently strictly controlled by the government, and no manufacture or export can occur without government approval and participation. Studies are being conducted by the government on an ongoing basis to insure that noHarvest of any herb will threaten sustainability of any one plant or in any way harm the ecosystem. Ron Teeguarden, who was an ecology major at the University ofMichigan, has maintained a life-long interest in the issue of conservation and environmental issues. Ron has special interest in the Bhutanese people’s unique approach to ecological policy. The emphasis on non-polluting agricultural practices and on sustainability are quite profound. It is inevitable, if the Bhutanese succeed in their efforts to develop a modern nation while maintaining the ecology of the entire country, that Bhutan will become a model for numerous other countries. The prize could be an acceleration in the world-wide movement toward a more ecological sound world. Bringing Bhutanese herbs to the outside world Now, for the first time ever, the Bhutanese government has granted its permission for one group – and just one group – to engage in the business of growing, harvesting, preparing, manufacturing and exporting herbs and other botanicals from all regions within Bhutan to the outside world. The group formed by Ron Teeguarden, Garnet Dupuis, Benchen Khenpo, John Gale and Alan Lau has been granted permission by the Bhutanese government to engage in botanical commerce with Bhutanese herbs. In a presentation to the Dragon Herbs staff upon returning from Bhutan, Ron said: “This is an unprecedented opportunity in the modern era to participate in the creation of the world’s first truly ecologically driven society, and simultaneously to participate in the development of a botanical and herbal production base that will provide completely pure, non-polluted, organic botanicals and medicinal herbs to the entire world. ‘Grown in Bhutan’ and ‘Bhutan Botanicals’will soon be known throughout the world as a guaranty of purity and quality unsurpassed in the world, much as ‘grown on Changbai Mountain’means ‘the best’ to people who know Chinese herbs. Some of the world’s greatest tonic herbs grow abundantly in Bhutan, including at least three varieties of wild ginseng, cordyceps, rhodiola, reishi mushroom, astragalus, and many others. These herbs have been growing in totally pristine environments and under ideal conditions. And we have been blessed with the opportunity to be the first purveyors of these extraordinary Bhutanese botanicals to the world.” “China has already developed its herbal base, and has already developed methods of sustainable growth of tonic herbs. Bhutan, in declaring a similar policy, is following an enlightened path of ecological management blended with humanitarian goals and the benefits of herbal commerce to its people. We’re just proud to be part of it.”

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