Govt vows to boost Arjun plant-based herbal industry, tapping North Bihar’s natural wealth

Alinagar MLA Maithili Thakur, Pandey described Terminalia arjuna — commonly known as Arjun — as ‘an important medicinal tree whose bark has been used for centuries in Ayurveda and increasingly in allopathic systems, especially for cardiac ailments’

State health minister Mangal Pandey has said that the government intends to turn the abundant Arjun trees of North Bihar into a major driver of rural employment and herbal medicine production, informing the state assembly on Friday that the tree’s bark holds enormous potential for both traditional Ayurvedic remedies and modern heart-care products.

Arjun plant

Replying to a calling attention motion moved by Alinagar MLA Maithili Thakur, Pandey described Terminalia arjuna — commonly known as Arjun — as “an important medicinal tree whose bark has been used for centuries in Ayurveda and increasingly in allopathic systems, especially for cardiac ailments.” He pointed out that the tree grows prolifically across several districts of North Bihar, making it a ready-made economic and therapeutic asset for the state.

The minister said the Bihar State Medicinal Plants Board is already working on conservation, scientific harvesting, value addition and marketing of medicinal plants. “We will ensure full compliance with biodiversity norms, forest laws and sustainable harvesting standards,” he added. Pandey announced that his department would soon coordinate with the environment, forest and climate change, agriculture and industries departments to prepare a practical roadmap so that collection, processing and branding of Arjun-based products could generate jobs while strengthening Bihar’s position in the herbal sector.

MLA Maithili Thakur, who had brought the issue to the house, painted a vivid picture of the tree’s spread in her constituency and other parts of North Bihar. “This is not just any tree; it is a big economic and Ayurvedic treasure for the state,” she said. She listed the key bioactive compounds in the bark — beta-sitosterol, arjunolic acid and friedelin — and reminded the house that Arjun preparations such as Arjun Ghrit, Arjunarishta and Kshayakash have long been prescribed for heart disease, tuberculosis and diabetes, claims backed by modern research as well.

Instead of allowing raw Arjun bark to be carted off to other states, Thakur urged the government to set up small-scale processing units at the district level. These units, she suggested, could manufacture tablets, herbal decoctions and heart-care supplements under the ‘Make in Bihar’ banner and sell them through the state government’s own marketing portal.

She also called for a structured plan that includes organised collection of bark, registration of cultivators, government subsidies and technical support so that Bihar could eventually emerge as a recognised hub for Ayurvedic and homeopathic herbal medicines.

Officials familiar with the sector say the move comes at a time when global demand for evidence-based herbal cardiac tonics is rising and the Union AYUSH ministry is actively promoting medicinal plant clusters across the country. If implemented well, the initiative could provide supplementary income to thousands of farmers and forest-dependent communities in flood-prone North Bihar while reducing the state’s dependence on imported herbal raw material.

The government is now expected to finalise the inter-departmental action plan within the next few months.