Erdenet, Orkhon District, Mongolia — Water turns to steam and bubbles boil. Bayarjargal Togmid removes the pot from the stove and stirs in the bright yellow grass known as manjingarab.
“This plant is a great cough suppressant,” she says. “Now we mix it with water and the kids often gargle their throats and mouths. It’s more effective than regular medicine.”
Bayarjargal said she grew up watching her mother harvest medicinal plants for her job as a botanist, but it wasn’t until the pandemic began that she started making cough syrup for her family. She and her husband were vaccinated last year and believe in using traditional medicines, both homemade and sourced from nearby clinics, to strengthen the immune system. When her husband finally contracted COVID-19 in February, she says he recovered within five days.
Mongolian traditional medicine has a 5,000-year history, but an official ban from 1922 to 1990 nearly wiped it out forever. The pandemic has led to a surge in new users seeking protection and relief from the symptoms of the virus, and renewed popularity as a source of national pride and pride. income opportunities.
“Our ancestors have left us a rich source of knowledge about traditional medicine,” says Dr. Bold Sharab, professor of traditional medicine at the Mongolian International University of Medical Sciences. “It’s important to use it the right way.”
The Ministry of Health has included herbal teas and decoctions in its COVID-19 home care treatment package, which will be distributed to family health centers across the country and provided free of charge to adults diagnosed with the disease. Oyunchimeg Murduruji, senior expert on traditional medicine at the Ministry of Health, said the contents of the kits were based on recommendations from doctors and researchers.
“In the past two years, Mongolian scientists have experimentally tested more than 50 medicinal plants and started using them for treatment,” said L., coordinator of overseas projects at the Institute of Traditional Medicine Technology. . Batku says. He also runs a hospital and a pharmaceutical factory. He says governments should increase investment in research, development and production to meet growing demand.
Oyunchimeg counters that the Ministry of Health has supported the development of traditional medicine practitioners through training and research centres. “Traditional medicine research has advanced in recent years,” she says. “Once the research is sufficiently developed and in line with international standards, the government will develop export policies.”
Mongolian doctors support traditional medicine, but do not replace it, but use it in conjunction with modern medicine.
Dr. Gelertuya Srenhorol, an infectious disease specialist at the Orkhon Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Center, said that although the recommended herbal remedies against COVID-19, such as Mana-4 and Norov-7, do not completely cure the disease. , states that it boosts the human immune system and increases resilience. Use only as directed.
“Medicinal plants can even be harmful if you don’t use the right dosage,” she said, warning that some plants can be poisonous.
Pharmacists across the country say they were unprepared for the surge in demand for traditional medicines related to the pandemic, and expect the interest to outlast the virus itself. “Currently, traditional Mongolian medicines, decoctions and preparations are the best-selling products,” said Altantuya Sanduidorj, a pharmacist in Orkhon province.
Otgongeler Skbat, an economist in Orkhon province, said that when he contracted the coronavirus in April 2021, he had been vaccinated against the coronavirus and started drinking Manna 4 tea and Norov 7 tea. . She recovered within a week and plans to continue her treatment in conjunction with modern medicine.
“At first it was quite bitter and difficult to drink,” she says. “I’m almost used to it now.”
According to the Department of Traditional Medicine of the Ministry of Health, demand is increasing from international markets such as Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands. Although international studies remain rare, a 2021 study by Mongolian researchers published in the Journal of the Asian Medical Students Association found that the recovery rate for COVID-19 patients using both Mongolian herbal medicine and Western treatment was 1.7. 42% of them recovered within a week. than those who used only a single type of treatment.
Of the eight Mongolian manufacturers of nearly 400 traditional medicine products, only four currently have export permits. In 2017, Oditan became the first company to receive this approval after a months-long process involving the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and specialized inspection agencies.
“Since the coronavirus outbreak, pharmacies have been constantly contacting us to ask which medicines and preparations are recommended for colds and flu and what types of products are available, and to ask for further cooperation. “We started making proposals,” says Chansarduram Baatar, executive director of Odi Tan.
The company has customers in other Asian countries, but doesn’t yet have the ability to reach Europe or North America, Chansarduram said. So the company is focusing on expanding its supply chain by paying families to grow ingredients like nettles, thyme and licorice.
“Medicinal plants and herbs could contribute as much to the economy as coal exports if the government supported us more and promoted export opportunities,” she says.
Batok, the overseas project coordinator at the Institute of Traditional Medicine Technology, said the government is working with pharmaceutical companies to ensure their products meet national and international quality and safety standards. His team is working on submitting a funding application to build a large-scale factory that can process and produce raw materials.
“In the future, we will be able to fully cover domestic consumption and exports,” says Bold, a professor of traditional medicine.
Bayarjargal, an Erdenet mother, says more education is also needed to ensure that the burgeoning interest among Mongolians does not have a negative impact on people and the environment. “If you don’t pick natural herbs properly, you run the risk of the plant not growing back,” she says. “Identification and selection of suitable non-toxic plants is also important.”
