Masks Made of Medicinal Leaves
Masks made of medicinal leaves | Tribals in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, India have taken the initiative to make their own masks using leaves from plants with medicinal properties to keep Covid-19 at bay. In another news, villagers in tribal hamlets in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar have made personal protective equipment such as masks from palm leaves.
Tribal Communities of India have traditional knowledge about indigenous plants and natural cures. Through this reservoir of traditional knowledge & natural cures, that have been able to sustainably dwell in their natural environment. However, with spread of Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, their vulnerability increased manifold. Surprisingly, many of these indigenous tribes have come with their own innovative ways of mitigating this new problem. Many tribes in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & Chattisgarh have taken their own steps to ensure the safety of their communities during the coronavirus outbreak.
These communities have developed their own protective equipment such as masks with leaves of locally available medicinal plants. The types of leaves used include that of the teak tree, palm, castor and pongamia tree. Around 15,000 people in various tribal pockets of north coastal Andhra are using the improvised face masks. This innovative idea by the impoverished tribal groups seems to have definitely paid off. Almost none of them have contracted the novel coronavirus. Unlike city folks, the tribal groups did not wait for the government to augment the supplies. All they did was to select a few trees with medicinal value, pluck their leaves and make improvised facial coverings.
While people in urban areas virtually ran from pillar to post for masks in the initial period of Covid-19 spread, primitive tribal populations, inhabiting the dense forests of AP and Telangana, developed their own face masks. Unlike city folks, the tribal groups did not wait for the government to augment the supplies. All they did was to select a few trees with medicinal value, pluck their leaves and make improvised facial coverings. Great.
How about wearing a face mask with medicinal properties, but at no cost?
