Pages

Monday, February 11, 2013

The American lockdown state

The American lockdown state
The US has become a nation not of laws but of legal memos, not of legality but of legalisms.
Consider Inauguration Day, more than two weeks gone and already part of our distant past. In its wake, President Obama was hailed (or reviled) for his "liberal" second inaugural address. On that day everything from his invocation of women's rights ("Seneca Falls"), the civil rights movement ("Selma"), and the gay rights movement ("Stonewall") to his wife's new bangs and Beyoncé's lip-syncing was fodder for the media extravaganza. The President was even praised (or reviled) for what he took pains not to bring up: the budget deficit. Was anything, in fact, not grist for the media mill, the hordes of talking heads, and the chattering classes?

One subject, at least, got remarkably little attention during the inaugural blitz and, when mentioned, certainly struck few as odd or worth dwelling on.  Yet nothing better caught our changing American world.  Washington, after all, was in a lockdown mode unmatched by any inauguration from another era -not even Lincoln's second inaugural in the midst of the Civil War, or Franklin Roosevelt's during World War II, or John F Kennedy's at the height of the Cold War.
Here's how NBC Nightly News described some of the security arrangements as the day approached:
Buy Medicinal Seeds
[T]he airspace above Washington... [will be] a virtual no-fly zone for 30 miles in all directions from the US capital. Six miles of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers will be shut down, with 150 blocks of downtown Washington closed to traffic, partly out of concern for car or truck bombs... with counter-snipers on top of buildings around the capital and along the parade route... [and] detectors monitoring the air for toxins... At the ready near the capital, thousands of doses of antidotes in case of a chemical or biological attack... All this security will cost about $120m dollars for hundreds of federal agents, thousands of local police, and national guardsmen from 25 states.

Consider just the money. It's common knowledge that, until the recent deal over the renewal of the George W Bush tax cuts for all but the richest of Americans, taxes had not been raised since the read-my-lips-no-new-taxes era of his father. That's typical of the way we haven't yet assimilated the new world we find ourselves in. After all, shouldn't that $120 million in taxpayer money spent on "safety" and "security" for a single event in Washington be considered part of an ongoing Osama bin Laden tax?

Maybe it's time to face the facts: this isn't your grandfather's America. Once, prospective Americans landed in a New World. This time around, a new world's landed on us.

Making fantasy into reality
Bin Laden, of course, is long dead, but his was the 9/11 spark that, in the hands of George W Bush and his top officials, helped turn this country into a lockdown state and first set significant portions of the Greater Middle East aflame. In that sense, bin Laden has been thriving in Washington ever since and no commando raid in Pakistan or elsewhere has a chance of doing him in.

Since the al-Qaeda leader was aware of the relative powerlessness of his organisation and its hundreds or, in its heyday, perhaps thousands of active followers, his urge was to defeat the US by provoking its leaders into treasury-draining wars in the Greater Middle East.

In his world, it was thought that such a set of involvements -and the "homeland"security down payments that went with them - could bleed the richest, most powerful nation on the planet dry. In this, he and his associates, imitators, and wannabes were reasonably canny. The bin Laden tax, including that $120m for Inauguration Day, has proved heavy indeed.

In the meantime, he - and 9/11 as it entered the American psyche - helped facilitate the locking down of this society in ways that should unnerve us all. The resulting United States of Fear has since engaged in two disastrous more-than-trillion dollar wars and a "Global War on Terror" that shows no sign of ending in our lifetime (see Yemen, Pakistan, and Mali). It has also funded the supersized growth of a labyrinthine intelligence bureaucracy; that post-9/11 creation, the Department of Homeland Security; and, of course, the Pentagon and the US military, including the special operations forces, an ever-expanding secret military elite cocooned within it.

Given the enemy at hand - not a giant empire, but scattered jihadis and minority insurgencies in distant lands - all of these institutions, which make up the post-9/11 National Security Complex, expanded in ways that would have boggled the minds of previous generations (as would that most un-American of all words, "homeland"). All of this, in turn, happened in a poisonously paranoid atmosphere in Washington, and much of the rest of the country.

Even if you ignore that Inauguration Day no-boating zone or the 30-mile no-fly zone (the sort of thing the US once imposed on enemy lands and now imposes on itself), consider those "thousands of doses of antidotes in case of a chemical or biological attack". Just about nothing on this planet is utterly inconceivable, but it's worth noting that, as far as we know, the national security bureaucracy made no preparations for an unexpected tornado on Inauguration Day.

Given recent extreme weather events, including tornado warnings for Washington, that would at least have been a plausible scenario to consider.

Certainly, a biological or chemical attack is a similarly imaginable possibility. After all, it actually happened in Tokyo in 1995, when followers of the Aum Shinrikyo cult set off Sarin gas in that city's subway system, killing 11. But the likelihood of any conceivable set of Islamic terrorists attacking those inaugural crowds with either chemical or biological weapons was, to say the least, microscopic. As something to protect Washington visitors against, it ranked at least on a par with the (non-existent) post-9/11 al-Qaeda sleeper cells and sleeper-assassins so crucial to the plot of the TV show Homeland.

And yet, in these years, what might have remained essentially a nightmarish fantasy has become an impending reality around which the national security folks organise their lives - and ours. Ever since the now largely forgotten anthrax mail attacks that killed five soon after 9/11 - the anthrax in those envelopes may have come directly from a US bioweapons laboratory - all sorts of fantastic scenarios involving biochemical attacks have become part and parcel of the American lockdown state.

In the Bush era, for instance, among the apocalyptic dream scenes the President and his top officials used to panic Congress into approving a much-desired invasion of Iraq were the possibility of future mushroom clouds over American cities and this claim: that Iraqi autocrat Saddam Hussein had drones (he didn't) and the means to get them to the East Coast of the US (he didn't), and the ability to use them to launch attacks in which chemical and biological weaponry would be sprayed over US cities (he didn't). This was a presidentially promoted fantasy of the first order, but no matter. Some senators actually voted to go to war at least partially on the basis of it.

As is often true of ruling groups, Bush and his cronies weren't just manipulating us with the fear of nightmarish future attacks, but themselves as well. Thanks to New Yorker journalist Jane Mayer's fine book The Dark Side, for instance, we know that Vice President Dick Cheney was always driven around Washington with "a duffel bag stocked with a gas mask and a biochemical survival suit" in the backseat of his car.

The post-9/11 National Security Complex has been convulsed by such fears. After all, it has funded itself by promising Americans one thing: total safety from one of the lesser dangers of our American world - "terrorism". The fear of terrorism (essentially that bin Laden tax again) has been a financial winner for the Complex, but it carries its own built-in terrors. Even with the $75bn or more a year that we pump into the "US Intelligence Community", the possibility that it might not discover some bizarre plot, and that, as a result, several airliners might then go down, or a crowd in Washington be decimated, or you name it, undoubtedly leaves many in the Complex in an ongoing state of terror. After all, their jobs and livelihoods are at stake.

Think of their fantasies and fears, which have become ever more real in these years without in any way becoming realities, as the building blocks of the American lockdown state. In this way, intent on "taking the gloves off" - removing, that is, all those constraints they believed had been put on the executive branch in the Watergate era - and perhaps preemptively living out their own nightmares, figures like Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld changed our world.


The powers of the lockdown state
As cultists of a unitary executive, they - and the administration of national security managers who followed in the Obama years - lifted the executive branch right out of the universe of American legality. They liberated it to do more or less what it wished, as long as "war, "terrorism", or "security" could be invoked. Meanwhile, with their Global War on Terror well launched and promoted as a multigenerational struggle, they made wartime their property for the long run.

In the process, they oversaw the building of a National Security Complex with powers that boggle the imagination and freed themselves from the last shreds of accountability for their actions.

They established or strengthened the power of the executive to: torture at will (and create the "legal" justification for it); imprison at will, indefinitely and without trial; assassinate at will (including American citizens); kidnap at will anywhere in the world and "render" the captive into the hands of allied torturers; turn any mundane government document (at least 92 million of them in 2011 alone) into a classified object and so help spread a penumbra of secrecy over the workings of the American government; surveil Americans in ways never before attempted (and only "legalised" by Congress after the fact, the way you might backdate a check); make war perpetually on their own say-so; and transform whistleblowing - that is, revealing anything about the inner workings of the lockdown state to other Americans - into the only prosecutable crime that anyone in the Complex can commit.
It's true that some version of a number of these powers existed before 9/11. "Renditions" of terror suspects, for instance, first ramped up in the Clinton years; the FBI conducted illegal surveillance of antiwar organizations and other groups in the 1960s; the classification of government documents had long been on the rise; the congressional power to make war had long been on the wane; and prosecution of those who acted illegally while in government service was probably never a commonplace (both the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals, however, did involve actual convictions or guilty pleas for illegal acts, followed in some of the Iran-Contra cases by presidential pardons). Still, in each case, after 9/11, the national security state gained new or greatly magnified powers, including an unprecedented capacity to lockdown the country (and American liberties as well).
What it means to be in such a post-legal world - to know that, no matter what acts a government official commits, he or she will never be brought to court or have a chance of being put in jail - has yet to fully sink in. This is true even of critics of the Obama administration, who, as in the case of its drone wars, continue to focus on questions of legality, as if that issue weren't settled. In this sense, they continue to live in an increasingly fantasy-based version of America in which the rule of law still applies to everyone.

In reality, in the Bush and Obama years, the United States has become a nation not of laws but of legal memos, not of legality but of legalisms - and you don't have to be a lawyer to know it. The result? Secret armies, secret wars, secret surveillance, and spreading state secrecy, which meant a government of the bureaucrats about which the American people could know next to nothing. And it's all "legal".

Consider, for instance, this passage from a recent Washington Post piece on the codification of "targeted killing operations"- ie drone assassinations - in what's now called the White House "playbook": "Among the subjects covered... are the process for adding names to kill lists, the legal principles that govern when US citizens can be targeted overseas, and the sequence of approvals required when the CIA or US military conducts drone strikes outside war zones."

Those "legal principles" are, of course, being written up by lawyers working for people like Obama counterterrorism "tsar" John Brennan; that is, officials who want the greatest possible latitude when it comes to knocking off "terrorist suspects", American or otherwise. Imagine, for instance, lawyers hired by a group of neighbourhood thieves creating a "playbook" outlining which kinds of houses they considered it legal to break into and just why that might be so. Would the "principles" in that document be written up in the press as "legal" ones?

Here's the kicker. According to the Post, the "legal principles" a White House with no intention of seriously limiting, no less shutting down, America's drone wars has painstakingly established as "law" are not, for the foreseeable future, going to be applied to Pakistan's tribal borderlands where the most intense drone strikes still take place. The CIA's secret drone war there is instead going to be given a free pass for a year or more to blast away as it pleases - the White House equivalent of Monopoly's get-out-of-jail-free card.

In other words, even by the White House's definition of legality, what the CIA is doing in Pakistan should be considered illegal. But these days when it comes to anything connected to American war-making, legality is whatever the White House says it is (and you won't find their legalisms seriously challenged by American courts).

Post-legal drones and the new legalism
This week, during the Senate confirmation hearings for Brennan's nomination as CIA director, we are undoubtedly going to hear much about "legality" and drone assassination campaigns. Senator Ron Wyden, for instance, has demanded that the White House release a 50-page "legal" memo its lawyers created to justify the drone assassination of an American citizen, which the White House decided was far too hush-hush for either the Congress or ordinary Americans to read.
Medicinal Plants For The Future
But here's the thing: if Wyden got that bogus document, undoubtedly filled with legalisms (as a just-leaked 16-page Justice Department "white paper" justifying drone killings is), and released it to the rest of us, what difference would it make? Yes, we might learn something about the vestiges of a guilty conscience when it comes to American legality in a White House run by a former "constitutional law professor". But we would know little else.

Once upon a time, an argument over whether such drone strikes were legal or not might have had some heft to it. After all, the United States was once hailed, above all, as a "nation of laws". But make no mistake: today, such a "debate" will, in the Seinfeldian sense, be an argument about nothing, or rather about an issue that has long been settled.

The drone strikes, after all, are perfectly "legal". How do we know? Because the administration which produced that 50-page document (and similar memos) assures us that it's so, even if they don't care to fully reveal their reasoning, and because, truth be told, on such matters they can do whatever they want to do. It's legal because they've increasingly become the ones who define legality.
It would, of course, be illegal for Canadians, Pakistanis, or Iranians to fly missile-armed drones over Minneapolis or New York, no less take out their versions of bad guys in the process. That would, among other things, be a breach of American sovereignty. The US can, however, do more or less what it wants when and where it wants. The reason: it has established, to the satisfaction of our national security managers - and they have the secret legal documents (written by themselves) to prove it - that US drones can cross national boundaries just about anywhere if the bad guys are, in their opinion, bad enough. And that's "the law"!

As with our distant wars, most Americans are remarkably unaffected in any direct way by the lockdown of this country. And yet in a post-legal drone world of perpetual "wartime", in which fantasies of disaster outrace far more realistic dangers and fears, sooner or later the bin Laden tax will take its toll, the chickens will come home to roost, and they will be able to do anything in our name (without even worrying about producing secret legal memos to justify their acts). By then, we'll be completely locked down and the key thrown away.

Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project and author of The United States of Fear as well as a history of the Cold War, The End of Victory Culture, runs the Nation Institute's TomDispatch.com. His latest book, co-authored with Nick Turse, is Terminator Planet: The First History of Drone Warfare, 2001-2050.
A version of this article first appeared on TomDispatch.com.
Forests For The Future
The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre


Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Annatto seeds for sale

Buy Bixa seed/plant
Bixa or Annatto is well known for its seeds which are used as a spice and food coloring, often in the world famous Jamaican beef patties. It is a small tree which bears pink, white, or purple-tinted flowers. The name Bixa orellana is derived from Francisco de Orellana, a 16th century Spanish explorer.

Achiote (Bixa orellana) is a shrub or small tree from the tropical region of the American continent. It is best known as the source of the natural pigment annatto, produced from the red fruit. The plant bears pink flowers and bright red spiny red fruits which contain red seeds. The fruits dry and harden to brown capsules.


Achiote -Bixa orellana seeds/plants are available
(Only for Research/Cultivation purpose)
Min. seeds : 100 seeds per packet
Min. plants : 50 plants per packet
Seed/plants are organic.Rare from Kashmir Himalaya
__________________
The Jammu and Kashmir 
Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Nambalbal, New Coloney Azizabad, 
Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR J&K 192121
Mob:09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in

Monday, January 28, 2013

Podophyllum hexandrum fruit sale

Podophyllum hexandrum for sale

The Perennial herb Podophyllum hexandrum, bearing the common names Himalayan mayapple or May apple Qashmeriana , is native to the lower elevations in and surrounding the Himalaya
Podophyllum hexandrum fruit/plants/roots/seeds for sale Podophyllum hexandrum: Erect unbranched perennial with two pedately lobed leaves and pinkish white cupshaped flower 2-4cm. accross.Fruit orange-red.
OPEN POLLINATED SEEDS/Non-hybrid
Our seeds are nearly all open-pollinated and so are able to be grown again from seed you save yourself. Open-pollinated seeds are genetically diverse treasures that have been passed on from generation to generation. When you buy and plant open-pollinated seeds you are helping to protect this valuable resource for the future.

No of seeds 25 seeds/per packet

__________________
The Jammu and Kashmir medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Nambalbal, New Coloney Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR J&K 192121
Mob:09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Buy Shilajit

Buy Shilajit Powder/Cut
(Available in 100,250,500 grams)
Buy Saffron from Kashmir
(Available in 20,50, 100 grams)
Buy Berberis lycium roots
(Available in 250,500 grams)
Buy Rheum emodi
(Available in 100,250,500 grams)
Buy Foeniculum vulgare
(Available in 100,250, 500 grams) 

For more details-
The Jammu and Kashmir medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Nambalbal, New Coloney Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR J&K 192121
Mob:09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in

Friday, January 25, 2013

Medicinal seeds for sale

Ginkgo biloba for sale

Ginkgo
The ginkgo is the tree that blends our ecological past with hope for the future.

We supply environmentalists with healthy, hand-grown ginkgo seedlings for soil, water and air remediation or as fire barriers, Ginkgos help indigenous species to flourish in the world without over-taking them. Since one tree can survive for 1000 years, we recommend planting wisely!
The ginkgo tree is a true survivor or " living fossil" from the Jurassic period. It saw the dinosaurs come and go and is the only living tree to survive the atomic blast at Hiroshima. It can thrive for 1000 years on polluted land while reducing taxins. Besides being a highly researched medicinal wonder, they provide disease-free ornamental shade tree or tenacious forests. They are the tree that blends our ecological history with hope for the future.
Ginkgo biloba planting material is available for distribution/purchase for Research institutions, universities, associations and NGOs and educational institutions.
For more details:The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore  PPR Jammu and Kashmir 192121
POB 667 GPO Srinagar, near Mufti Sayed's Residence, Srinagar SGR JK 190001

Mob:09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Buy Shilajit

Shilajit possesses more than eighty five minerals and nutrients in along with a FULVIC ACID. Shilajit posses a large amount of fulvic acid.

In Sanskrit language the meaning of Shilajit is "hard like a Rock" - the supremacy to convert our body as hard and endurable like a rock that helps us in enabling to bear tough and harsh conditions.

Shilajit is considered as the strongest herbal supplement that can not be compared with any other supplement that has the capacity to give your increasing age a U turn. Ancient Indian sages regard Shilajit as the godly blessing so that we humans can preserve our powers and youth for attaining longitivity.

As per ayurveda it is considered as the divine nectar that has the potential to fade away any kind of bodily problems and loss of immunity. It is regarded as the most powerful aphrodisiac agent that not only increases the vitality but also improves the performance of a man in every aspect of life.

SHILAJIT available in 100,200,500 grams

The Jammu and Kashmir medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Nambalbal, New Coloney Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR J&K 192121
Mob:09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com


Saturday, December 8, 2012

Pyrethrum seeds for sale

Pyrethrum seeds for sale

Pyrethrum-Chrysanthemum cinerarifolium
Aromatic perennial, leaves dissected into liner segments. Flowers white, 2-5cm.across.Pyrethrum refers to several Old World plants of the genus Chrysanthemum (e.g., C. coccineum) which are cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads. Pyrethrum is also the name of a natural insecticide made from the dried flower heads of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium and Chrysanthemum coccineum.

Other uses of the herb: The dried flower heads are used as an insecticide, they are a source of the commercially available insecticide "pyrethrum", which is non-toxic to mammals. This species is less effective than T. cinerariifolium. Only the yellow disk rays contain pyrethrins. Once dried, the flowers or the powder retain their insecticidal properties almost indefinitely.

Propagation of Pyrethrum: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed and do not allow the pot to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
 
Parts available:
Pyrethrum seed, Pyrethrum seedlings,Chrysanthemum, Pyrethrum flowers cinerarifolium,Chrysanthemum coccineum, Wilf Pyrethrum,Natural Insecticide

Min. seeds : 50 seeds/per packet
Organic from Kashmir Himalaya.No GMO's.
(Only for research Purpose)
__________________
The Jammu and Kashmir medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Nambalbal, New Coloney Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR J&K 192121

Mob:09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in

Salvia moorcroftiana seeds for sale

Salvia moorcroftiana
Family: Labiatae
English name :Moorcroft's Sage
Sticky glandular perennial, leaves ovate oblong opposite. Flowers pink purple in branched terminal inflorescence.

Medicinal use of Salvia moorcroftiana: The roots are used in the treatment of colds and coughs. The seed is emetic. It is used in the treatment of dysentery, haemorrhoids, colic and, externally, boils. A poultice of the leaves is used as a dressing for wounds and is also applied to itchy skin.

Edible parts of Salvia moorcroftiana: Stems - peeled. They are occasionally eaten.

Propagation of the herb: Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season.
 
Parts available:
Salvia moorcroftiana leaves, Salvia moorcroftiana Stems, Salvia moorcroftiana whole plant, Salvia moorcroftiana seeds, Salvia moorcroftiana seedlings
50 seeds per packet
Open-pollinated.Organic from Kashmir Himallaya
(For Research purpose only)
__________________
The Jammu and Kashmir medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Nambalbal, New Coloney Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR J&K 192121
Mob:09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.in

Monday, December 3, 2012

Kisaan Call Centre

                                                                                                                      Farmers’ call centre in the offing in Pakistan
Islamabad, December 3 : ICTs in agriculture are set to make a foray in Pakistan as a leading NGO in the country is set to start a call centre for farmers.

Dr Mohammad Tariq Bucha, president of the Farmers Associates of Pakistan, said that the organisation is in the process of developing the country's first-ever farmers' call centre, enabling the farming community get access to latest agriculture and trade information.
Agriculture Department, Jammu
Gole Pully, Talab Tillo, Jammu, J&K
Phone: 0191-2505201, 0191-2552145, Fax: 0191-2505619
email-id : agrijammu@rediffmail.com email-id : agrijammu@nic.in

Kisan Call Centers 
The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC), Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India launched Kisan Call Centers on January 21, 2004 across the country 

It is a very impressive and powerful telecom network for both sector private as well as government sector, more than 4 lakh village have the facality of public telephone in the country, the networks directly connect to the indiain farmers who have several problmes regarding their farming, now any single farmer can call to the kisan call centre at any time of clock, the main moto of kisan call centre to solve their farming problmes over telephonic talk,thus we are looking for good communication skills candidate. 

SKUAST | Sher-e-Kashmir University Of Agricultural Sciences ...

 Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), named after great patriotic leader Jenab Sheikh Mohammad ...

The non-profit, promoted to serve needs of Pakistan's farming community, will also undertake promoting an electronic agriculture environment in Pakistan: "Farmers will be provided with the latest information through text messages, emails, FM radio and television channels, while mobile van system will also be introduced," Bucha said.

Government of India, Department of Agriculture & cooperation ...

Responsible for national policies and programmes aimed at achieving agricultural growth. Part of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Initially, the project would be launched in Punjab, the country's granary. It would later be extended to Sindh and other provinces.


Essentially, the motive behind this initiative is to provide farmers a platform to access latest information on prices. As Bucha said, growers have so far sold their crop at lower rates but with the proposed information system under the e-agriculture project, they would get better prices as it would help them get relevant information regarding agro-inputs, crop production technologies, agro-processing, market support, agro-finance and management of farm agri-business.

Besides this, a system to forecast crop production, input management and command area management could provide information on expected agriculture produce. The website would also provide information on watershed management, land and water resources development, drinking water potential mapping precision management, natural disaster management, fishery management, hill area development and post-harvest management were the key areas, where the information technology could play its imperative impact.

According to Ahmad Jawad, chief executive officer of Harvest Tradings, the information technology could provide appropriate and location-specific technologies for the farmers to furnish timely and proficient advice. For agricultural extension management, the role of information technology can be encouraged for future resource documentation.

Jawad felt that state-of-are information and communication technologies could generate new openings to bridge the gap between haves and the have-nots.

"There are many possibilities of integration of ICT in agriculture and rural development," he said. This technology provides an opportunity to the developing nations and underdeveloped nations so that they can build up their strategies and compete with the developed nations.

"Information is the key in every sector for development. Agriculture is not an exception. It helps take timely action, prepare strategies for the next season or year, speculate the market changes and avoid unfavourable circumstances," he said. (Writer-South Asia)

Friday, November 23, 2012

Avena sativa
Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)
Other Common Names:
Groats, herb oats, oatgrass, oats, wild oats.


 The oat straw plant is an annual grass. It stands erect with a flat, rough, but elongated leaf. It has a golden seed shaped much like a spindle. It is in flower during June and July. The seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers have both male and female organs, and are pollinated by the wind.

Chemical Constituents : saponins, alkaloids (trigonelline and avenine), a sterol, flavonoids, starch, protein (gluten), fats, minerals (including silica, iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, zinc), vitamin b

Plant Parts Used : Grain, straw, and seed. When the seed is harvested and dried – also in late summer – it can be stored for several years. It has a texture similar to flour and puts forth a mild, creamy flavor.

Medicinal use of wild  oats : Whilst used mainly as a food, wild oat grain does also have medicinal properties. In particular Wild Oats are a nutritious food that gently restores vigour after debilitating illnesses, helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood and also increases stamina. The seed is a mealy nutritive herb that is antispasmodic, cardiac, diuretic, emollient, nervine and stimulant. The seed contains the antitumor compound b-sitosterol and has been used as a folk remedy for tumours. A gruel made from the ground seed is used as a mild nutritious aliment in inflammatory cases, fevers and after parturition. It should be avoided in cases of dyspepsia accompanied with acidity of the stomach. A tincture of the ground seed in alcohol is useful as a nervine and uterine tonic. A decoction strained into a bath will help to soothe itchiness and eczema. A poultice made from the ground seeds is used in the treatment of eczema and dry skin. When consumed regularly, oat germ reduces blood cholesterol levels. Oat straw and the grain are prescribed to treat general debility and a wide range of nervous conditions. They are of particular value in helping a person to cope with the exhaustion that results from multiple sclerosis, chronic neurological pain and insomnia.  Wild Oats are thought to stimulate sufficient nervous energy to help relieve insomnia. An alcoholic extraction of Wild Oats has been reported to be a deterrent for smoking, though reports that oat extract helped correct the tobacco habit have been disproven. A tincture of the plant has been used as a nerve stimulant and to treat opium addiction.

Avena sativa ,Avena sativa  seedlings, Avena sativa seeds, Avena sativa plants, Avena sativa herb available at:

All of our seeds,plants,seedlings & whole herbs are naturally grown, No GMO's, Organic from Kashmir Himlaya.

Available in 100,500 seeds per packet
More details: jkmpic@gmail.com
Ph: 09858986794,01933-223705
More details: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com
 

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Ginkgo biloba leaves for sale

Gingko biloba - Although not a cycad, Ginkgos also have an ancient lineage dating back to the Jurassic era, and make superb companion plants for cycads.  In prehistoric times it grew world-wide but today its natural range is limited to only two small areas in China. 

Once thought to be extinct they were found growing in monasteries in China where they had been carefully preserved over the centuries.  The leaves, taken as a tea, help to improve the memory.  A medium-sized tree with unique, fan-shaped, lime green leaves that turn pure gold in fall.

Min. seeds : 50 seeds per packet
(Open-polinated and organic)
Min. order: 25 saplings
Delivery : By AIR
Tax/Courier/Fright charges : Nill
Seed/Ginkgo plants/Ginkgo tea leaves are also available
Plants are available in Polybag/without polybag

Buy Ginkgo biloba seed/plant/leaves are available at:
The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Nambalbal, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Or. PO Box 667 GPO Srinagar SGR JK 190001
e.mail: jkmpic@gmail.com, jkmpic@yahoo.in
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Post Office Pampore


Post Office Pampore
Srinagar-Jammu Highway, Drangbal, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Ph : 01933-222225

Capsella bursa-pastoris seeds for sale

                                                                                         Capsella bursa-pastoris plants/seeds for sale
Capsella bursa-pastoris, known by its common name shepherd's-purse because of its triangular, purse-like pods, is a small annual and ruderal species, and a member of the Brassicaceae or mustard family.

Whole plant/seeds are available
__________________
JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR JK 192121

Ph: 09858986794, 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Descurainia sophia in India

Latin name: Descurainia sophia
Synonyms: Sisymbrium sophia
Family: Cruciferae
Medicinal use of Flixweed :   poultice of the plant has been used to ease the pain of toothache. The juice of the plant has been used in the treatment of chronic coughs, hoarseness and ulcerated sore throats. A strong decoction of the plant has proved excellent in the treatment of asthma. The flowers and the leaves are antiscorbutic and astringent. The seed is considered to be cardiotonic, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, laxative, restorative and tonic. It is used in the treatment of asthma, fevers, bronchitis, oedema and dysentery. It is also used in the treatment of worms and calculus complaints. It is decocted with other herbs for treating various ailments. The seeds have formed a special remedy for sciatica. A poultice of the ground up seeds has been used on burns and sores.

Edible parts of Flixweed : Young leaves and shoots - cooked. A bitter flavour. Used as a potherb. Seed - raw or cooked. A pungent taste, it is used as a mustard substitute. The seed can be ground into a powder, mixed with cornmeal and used to make bread, or as a thickening for soups etc. It can also be sprouted and added to salads etc. A nourishing and cooling beverage can be made by mixing the ground up seeds with water to make a thin batter. The seed contains 25.5 - 29.9% protein, 26.9 - 39.7% fat and 3.6 - 3.9% ash on a zero moisture basis.

Other uses of the herb :   semi-drying oil is obtained from the seed. Yields are not given. The leaves have been stored with corn to prevent it from going bad.
Distribution : Badwan, Bla, Muzaffarabad, Gilgat
Ecological  notes : Hrows in open wastelands and crop fields
Status : Common in Kashmir

Descurainia sophia Seeds/Leaves/Whole plant are available at

The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR JK 190001

Ph: 09858986794
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Angelica glauca PLANTS FOR SALE


Buy Angelica seed
Angelica glauca 1-2m, tall glaucous perennial, leaves pinnately divided, leaflets ovate toothed, glaucous beneath. Flowers purplish white, rays more than 20.
Kashmiri name : Chohore, Angelica Cashmeriana
Urdu : Angelica Cashmeriana
Dogri : Chora
Distribution of Angelica glauca : Iran, US, UK, Finland, Afghanistan, Pakistan
Angelica glauca : In Kashmir Himalaya : Gurez, Shopian, Azizabad (Pampore), Liddarwat, bhaderwah, Kishtwar. Mati Gauran, Phalgham.
Ecological notes : Prefers well wooded locations and humus rich soils.
Status : Frequent
Uses : Roots are harvested for oil extraction and medicinal use. Also used as condiment for flavouring dishes.

Min. seeds : 20 seeds per packet
For trail/research purpose only
Open-pollinated.Organic.Untreated


More details: ____________________________
JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR JK 192121

Ph: 09858986794, 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

India aims to grow Sea buckthorn in 1 mn hectare by 2020

Srinagar : Taking a cue from China, India today embarked on a major national initiative for commercial cultivation of sea buckthorn, a medicinal plant found in upper Kashmir Himalayan region.

The move includes a pledge by India to bring an area of one million hectare under the crop`s ambit by 2020 to reach the level achieved by the neighbouring country. "We are nowhere near to the three major sea buckthorn cultivation countries. For instance, compared to China which has 1.1 million hectares under sea buckthorn cultivation, we are negligible with just only 11,500 hectares of land for this purpose," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at a workshop here.

Mongolia has 30,000 hectares while Russia is cultivating the valuable plant in the 47,000 hectares, he said. It is for the first time the government has focused attention on the commercial cultivation of sea buckthorn plants, which has oval shaped and flame-coloured fruits which are highly nutritious and are a very good source of vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids, and antioxidant.

The plant is extensively used by China in its traditional medicines and for other purposes, he said while announcing the launch of national sea buckthorn initiative.

Ramesh added that agencies like the Indian Council for Forestry Research, Jammu and Kashmir Medicinlal Plants Introduction Centre, CSIR, ICAR, DBT and National Horticulture
Board working on various aspects of the plant will be now under the leadership of Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), which is a nodal laboratory for research and activities on the multi-purpose plant.

"An over arching national objective of the initiative will be to bring one million hectares of land area under
sea buckthorn cultivation by 2020," Ramesh said while exhorting the DIHAR to prepare an action-plan within next two months as a part of the Green India Mission.

To begin with, in the first phase, Leh,Kargil, Sonamarag, Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir, Lahul Spiti and Kinnaur in Himachal Pardesh and Chamoli in Uttarakhand will be targeted for cultivation, later to be extended to Arunanchal Pradesh in the next five years.

Priority for cultivation will be on riverbanks and hill slopes, Ramesh said at the workshop, a first of its kind which saw participation from locals, representatives from research institutions and various stakeholders, including farmers, to promote it on commercial basis.

Stressing that the project success depends on community participation, the Union Minister said that women`s self groups will be mobilised to scale up the initiative in the focus area.

Sea buckthorn seed/planting material are available at:
JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR JK 192121

Ph: 09858986794, 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Conium maculatum and breast cancer

Conium maculatum  : 1-2 m. tall umbellifer, leaves 2 pinnate, segments toothed. flowers white.

English name: Hemlock
Family : Apiaceae (formerly Umbelliferae)
Distribution : C. maculatum is native in temperate regions of  Europe, Kashmir, Pakistan,  as well as North Africa.

Ecological notes : Grows in waste places

Status : Not common

Hemlock-Conium maculatum is a very poisonous plant that has a long history of medicinal use, though it is very rarely used in modern herbalism. It is a narcotic plant that sedates and relieves pain. The plant contains coniine, an extremely toxic substance that can also cause congenital defects

The whole plant is analgesic, antispasmodic, emetic, galactofuge and sedative. It is a traditional folk treatment for cancer and was formerly widely used internally in very small doses to treat a variety of complaints including tumours, epilepsy, whooping cough, rabies and as an antidote to strychnine poisoning. It is still used externally, usually in ointments and oils, in the treatment of mastitis, malignant tumours (especially breast cancer) anal fissure and haemorrhoids. The  Conium maculatum leaves and stems should be harvested when the first fruits are forming, since they are then at their most active medicinally. The fruits are gathered either when fully ripe, or before they turn from green to yellow, and are then dried. Because of the extremely toxic nature of this herb, it is seldom employed nowadays. Use with extreme caution and only under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. See also the notes above on toxicity. A homeopathic remedy is prepared from a tincture of the fresh plant, harvested when in flower. It is used for treating complaints such as dizziness, coughs, insomnia, exhaustion, arteriosclerosis and prostate problems.


Min. seeds: 100 seeds per packet
Open-pollinated.Organic.No GMOs
__________________
JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Ph: 09858986794, 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com



Monday, September 3, 2012

Premature ejaculation and Ginkgo biloba leaves

Ginkgo biloba leaves: This contains flavonoids which improves the blood circulation in the brain and the body’s vascular network. It aids in relaxation and allows blood to flow to the genital area.
Ginkgo biloba leaves are available at:

The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Nambalbal, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Ph: 09858986794
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Wild Garlic-Allium ursinum seed

Buy Kashmir Wild Garlic Seeds
Wild Garlic-Allium ursinum seeds for sale
Ramsons, Allium ursinum — also known as buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, and bear's garlic — is a wild relative of chives native to Europe and Kashmir.

Min. seeds : 100 seeds/per packet
Open-pollinated.No GMO's,Untreated.

For more details:-
JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Ph: 09858986794, 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Lavatera cashmeriana seeds for sale


Buy Lavateera cashmeriana seeds
Bot. name : L. cashmerina
Qashmerian name : Sazposh/Sazmool

Bot. features : KASHMIR TREE MALLOW'. Bright pink 2" flowers with darker veins, July to September. Tall branching perennial to 5 feet. Endemic to the Kashmir Himalayas, 7500 to 10,000 feet. Medicinal. Hardy to Wisconsin. Nick seed to germinate in 1 - 3 weeks.

Habitat : Kashmir Himalaya, Gilgat, Pakistan
Part used : Leaf, flowers,roots

Medicinal uses : A known medicinal herb used in many medicinal preparations. It is supposed to be used in throat problems. The herb is given as a mild laxative. The roots are collected in large quantities and sold as crude drug in Himalayian region.

Minimum 25 seeds. Packed for 2012
Open-pollinated.Organic. No GMO's
(For R&D purpose only) 

JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Ph: 09858986794, 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com

Digitalis and Taxus baccata


Medicines From Plants

By Johan Simith

Foxglove leaf and foxglove leaf extract have long been used as a herbal remedy to treat heart problems. Taxol was discovered when scientists representing the National Cancer Institute in the United States performed a survey of plants looking for new chemotherapy drugs. By destroying so many natural habitats around the world humans are almost certainly denying themselves the opportunity to find many new medicines in plants.

Scientists have identified many medicinal chemicals in plants, and there are probably many more still to be discovered. Digitalis, which strengthens and slows the heartbeat, is found in foxgloves. Taxol, which is used as an anti-cancer drug, is found in yew trees.

Digitalis and Foxgloves

Digitalis is obtained from the leaves of the foxglove plant and is a type of cardiac glycoside. Cardiac glycosides are drugs prescribed to treat atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. Digitalis is generally prescribed in a form known as digoxin.

The common foxglove has the scientific name Digitalis purpurea. Foxgloves are tall plants with rows of beautiful, tubular flowers ranging in color from purple to white. The flowers frequently bear spots.
Although digitalis is a helpful drug it must be used in the correct dose. It’s dangerous if too much is ingested. In addition to digitalis, foxglove contains other chemicals which are biologically active and are toxic to humans and animals. The entire foxglove plant is poisonous.

How Does Digitalis Work?

In atrial fibrillation, the heartbeat is rapid and irregular. The inefficient pumping of the heart increases the risk of a stroke. Digitalis helps treat atrial fibrillation by increasing the action of the parasympathetic nervous system on the heart. One job done by this division of the nervous system is to slow the heartbeat
In congestive heart failure, the heart is unable to pump enough blood around the body. As a result, blood may back up in the blood vessels, causing fluid to leave the blood and enter the tissues. Fluid may build up in the lungs, the arms and legs, the digestive tract and the liver. This fluid buildup is called edema. Digitalis increases the amount of calcium in the heart cells. Increased calcium leads to a stronger heartbeat. Since digitalis strengthens the contraction of the heart, the heart can pump more blood and edema is reduced.

Digitalis Toxicity

A patient taking digitalis has to be monitored carefully. A dose of digitalis that can cause digitalis toxicity is not much larger than a therapeutic dose. Someone suffering from digitalis toxicity may experience loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There may be confusion, an irregular heartbeat and vision problems. Vision may be blurred and objects being viewed may have a yellow tinge, a condition known as xanthopsia. The person may also see halos of light around objects. In addition, he or she may experience depression and hallucinations.

Taxol and Yew Trees

Taxol was discovered in the bark of the Pacific Yew tree in the 1960’s. Its name is derived from Taxus brevifolia, the scientific name for the Pacific Yew. Taxol is most abundant in yew bark but is present in the needles as well. Recently taxol has also been found in a number of fungi.

At first the use of taxol was controversial, since removing the bark from yew trees to extract the taxol kills the trees. In addition, Pacific Yew trees are slow growing and new trees cannot quickly replace trees killed for taxol extraction. Nowadays taxol is obtained by a cell culture method that doesn't involve killing yew trees.

How Does Taxol Work?

Taxol is used to treat several different cancers, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and one type of lung cancer (non-small cell lung cancer). It’s also used to treat AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma. Taxol, which is also known as paclitaxel, is used on its own or it is used in combination with other chemotherapy drugs.

Just before a cell divides its nucleus divides, a process known as mitosis. Structures called microtubules play an important role in mitosis. Microtubules form during mitosis, and once mitosis has finished they break down. Taxol stops microtubule breakdown, thereby interfering with the process of mitosis. When mitosis is inhibited cell division is inhibited too.

Cancer cells multiply rapidly compared to most body cells and so they have a high rate of mitosis. Therefore taxol effectively acts as an anti-tumor drug.

Taxol Side Effects

Unfortunately taxol can also prevent the division of normal cells in the body that divide rapidly, such as the bone marrow cells that produce blood cells. One of the side effects of taxol may be a low red blood cell count (resulting in anemia), a low white blood cell count (which can lead to increased infections) or a low platelet count (which can lead to an increased risk of bruising and bleeding).

There may be additional side effects, but not everyone will experience them, or the side effects may be minor. It’s impossible to predict ahead of time how severe the side effects will be for a particular patient, but quite often people find taxol treatment less unpleasant than other chemotherapy treatments. Additional medications can often relieve the side effects that do appear.

The most common side effects of taxol treatment include low blood counts, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, temporary hair loss (until the taxol treatment is topped), mouth sores, muscle or joint pain, numbness and tingling. Other possible side effects are fluid retention in the feet, ankles or abdomen and nail darkening.

Some people have an allergic reaction to taxol, but this is usually not due to the taxol itself but due to the substance used to dissolve the taxol so that it can enter the bloodstream. Taxol is not water soluble. Doctors generally prescribe steroids to reduce the chance of an allergic reaction when taxol is given to a patient.

Mr. Sheikh Gulzaar is a research writer in Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre. More details: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com  was established in 1993. The institution also provides planting materils of all herbs, and Taxus baccata, Digitalis purpurea, Ginkgo biloba, Podophyllum hexandrum, Lavatera cashmeriana, Origanum vulgare, Phytolacca acinosa, Rheum emodi, Sambucus nigira, Saussurea costs, Solanum  nigrum, Hyoscyamus niger. 






Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Pyrethrum-Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium, plants/seeds for sale

The plant is economically important as a natural source of insecticide. The flowers are pulverized and the active components called pyrethrins, contained in the seed cases, are extracted and sold in the form of an oleoresin.

Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium, Family Asteraceae) is a perennial African plant with daisy-like appearance and white, pink or red flowers. The same species is also known as Pyrethrum roseum, Chrysanthemum coccineum, Tanacetum coccineum, or simply, the Painted Daisy. The flower is good for use as a long-lasting cut flower. The plant will re-bloom in late summer if pruned.

This is applied as a suspension in water or oil, or as a powder. Pyrethrins attack the nervous systems of all insects, and inhibit female mosquitoes from biting. When not present in amounts fatal to insects, they still appear to have an insect repellent effect. They are harmful to fish, but are far less toxic to mammals and birds than many synthetic insecticides and are non-persistent, being biodegradable and also breaking down easily on exposure to light. They are considered to be amongst the safest insecticides for use around food.

Pyrethroids are synthetic insecticides based on natural pyrethrum: an example of one is permethrin. A common formulation of pyrethrin is in preparations containing the synthetic chemical piperonyl butoxide: this has the effect of enhancing the toxicity to insects and speeding the effects when compared with pyrethrins used alone. These formulations are known as synergized pyrethrins.

Pyrethrum plants and seeds are available at:
The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Via Wuyan-Meej Road, Nambalbal, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Ph: 09858986794/01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com/
 

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Salvia officinalis seeds for sale

Sage Seeds-Salvia officinalis :Extrakta has a higher essential oil content (1.5-2%) and is higher yielding than common sage. Use fresh or dried to flavor chicken, sauces and dressings. Perennial plants grow to 2.5 feet tall. They have fragrant gray-green leaves and attractive blue flower spikes in early summer.

Packet is 1/2 gram, about 50 seeds.
Open-pollinated. Untreated. No GMO's

More details: The JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
"Ginkgo House", Azizabad, Pampore PPR JK 192121
Ph: 09858986794/01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Salvia sclarea leaves/seeds for sale

Clary has been perceived both as a weaker version of sage (Salvia officinalis) and also as a significant herb in its own right. An antispasmodic and aromatic plant, it is used mainly to treat digestive problems such as wind and indigestion. It is also regarded as a tonic, calming herb that helps relieve period pain and pre-menstrual problems. Owing to its oestrogen-stimulating action, it is most effective when levels of this hormone are low. The whole plant, and especially the leaves, is antispasmodic, appetizer, aromatic, astringent, balsamic, carminative, pectoral and tonic. It is useful in treating disorders of the stomach and kidneys and is a valuable remedy for complaints associated with the menopause, particularly hot flushing. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women. The leaves can be used fresh or dried, for drying they are harvested before the plant comes into flower. The seed forms a thick mucilage when it is soaked for a few minutes in water. This is efficacious in removing small particles of dust from the eyes. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is "Euphoric".

Propagation of Clary : Seed - can be sown in situ during spring. Alternatively seed can be sown in August/September to overwinter, it will then produce larger plants Thinnings can be transplanted. The seed remains viable for 3 years.

More details about Salvia sclarea leaves/seeds

Head, JK Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR JK 190001
Ph: 09858986794
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
For more details: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Lepidium meyenii-Maca seeds for sale

Maca seeds
Latin name: Lepidium meyenii
Synonyms: Lepidium mayenii
Family: Cruciferae
Medicinal use of Maca : Maca is a little known herbal remedy and high energy food. It is growing in popularity due to its energizing effects, fertility enhancement and aphrodisiac qualities. Other traditional uses include increasing energy, stamina and endurance in athletes, promoting mental clarity, treating male impotence, and helping with menstrual irregularities and female hormonal imbalances including menopause and chronic fatigue syndrome.The roots are antifatigue, aphrodisiac, nutritive, immunostimulant, steroidal and tonic. Maca, as with all crucifers, contains glucosinolates and isothiocyanates which have been shown to exhibit anticarcinogenicity by blocking formation of endogenous or exogenous carcinogens and so preventing initiation of carcinogenesis. Naturally occurring and synthetic isothiocyanates are among the most effective chemopreventive agents known. A wide variety of isothiocyanates prevent cancer of various tissues including the rat lung, mammary gland, oesophagus, liver, small intestine, colon, and bladder. Non-published data suggests Maca has this same effect. Surprisingly, there is no apparent traditional use of Maca in the treatment of cancer. In traditional Peruvian herbal medicine, Maca is used as an immunostimulant and in the treatment of anaemia, tuberculosis, menstrual disorders, menopause symptoms, stomach cancer, sterility and other reproductive and sexual disorders as well as to enhance memory. A chemical analysis conducted in 1981 showed the presence of biologically active aromatic isothiocyanates, especially p-methoxybenzyl isothiocyanate, which have reputed aphrodisiac properties. Initial analysis of Maca indicate that the effects on fertility are a result of the glucosinolates. Alkaloids are also present, but have not yet been quantified.(263). There are reports that this plant can cure many problems of infertility.

Habitat of the herb:
Barren steppes, tundra and alpine plains, usually in limestone and clay soils, 3800 - 4800 metres.

Edible parts of Maca:
Root - cooked. Sweet and pleasantly flavoured. They can be slowly baked. After being dried they are cooked in water to make a sweet aromatic porridge that is called "mazamorra" in S. America. The nutritional value of dried Maca root is high, resembling cereal grains such as maize, rice and wheat. It has 59% carbohydrates, 10.2% protein, 8.5% fibre and 2.2% lipids.(263) It has a large amount of essential amino acids and higher levels of iron and calcium than potatoes.(263) Maca contains important amounts of fatty acids including linolenic, palmitic and oleic acids. It is rich in sterols and has a high mineral content as well. The root resembles a small pear in both size and shape and is up to 8cm in diameter. The dried root contains about 13 - 16% protein and is rich in essential amino acids. The fresh root is unusually high in iodine and iron. The root does also contain small amounts of alkaloids, tannin and saponins. The dried roots store well, 7 year old roots still had 9 - 10% protein. Dried roots are brown, soft and sweet with a musky flavour, they retain their flavour for at least 2 years. Young leaves - raw or cooked. A hot cress-like flavour.

Propagation of the herb: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring.

Maca Seeds
Our Price: 2500/- 50 seeds per Pack
Availability: Usually Ships in 7 to 10 Business Days
More details:
Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
Silk Road (Kashmir China Road), Sonamarag, JK
POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR JK 190001
Mob: 09858986794
Ph: 01933-223705
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
More details : Maca seeds