Brahma Kamal – the spiritually revered, scientifically ignored medicinal plant Bestowed with rich botanical wealth, the people of India have probably the oldest, richest and most diverse cultural tradi-tions in the use of medicinal plants 1 . At higher altitudes of the Western Himala-yan ranges (extending from ca. 500 m to snow-clad peaks), a variety of important and endemic medicinal plants are found, making it a biodiversity-rich region 2 . Records indicate that these medicinal herbs have been in use for treating dis-eases since ancient times. The advent of herbal renaissance in recent times has led to heavy extraction of these medicinal plants from the wild. This, aided by loss of habitat by deforestation and excessive grazing pressure in high-altitude pastures in the entire Himalayan region threatens the survival of some important medicinal plants, one of them being Brahma Kamal. Brahma Kamal (Saussurea obvallata), the state flower of Uttarakhand, is an endemic herb of the Himalayan region (encompassing the Indian Himalayan Region, northern Burma and Southwest China). The plant is distributed at an alti-tudinal range of 3000–4800 m. It is a hermaphrodite herb which achieves an average height of about 5–10 cm. Flow-ers bloom in mid-monsoon (July– August) amongst the rocks and grasses of the hillside. Flower heads are purple, hidden from view in layers of yellowish-green papery bracts, which provide protection from the cold mountain envi-ronment. The flowers can be seen till mid-October, after which the plant per-ishes, becoming visible again in April. In Uttarakhand, Brahma Kamal is found in the regions of Kedarnath, the Valley of Flowers, Hemkund Sahib and Tungnath 3 . The plant holds immense sacred value in the region. Being regarded as a spiritual flower, it is offered to Lord Vishnu at Badrinath shrine and Lord Shiva at Kedarnath shrine. In Septem-ber/October, during the festival of Nanda Ashtami, Brahma Kamal is offered in temples and also distributed as 'prasada'. According to folklore in Hindu mytho-logy, Brahma Kamal was created by Lord Brahma to help Lord Shiva place the head of an elephant on the body of Lord Ganesha. The flower dropped 'Amruta' – the elixir of life from its petals on the body. It is also believed that on the revival of Lakshmana using Sanjeevani, the Gods showered Brahma Kamal from heaven in celebration. Hence, Brahma Kamal fell to earth and took root in the Valley of Flowers. Besides religious value, the plant is extensively harvested by local people for preparation of tradi-tional ayurvedic medicines. The flowers, rhizomes and leaves are used for treat-ment of bone ache, intestinal ailments, cough/cold and urinary tract problems. The rhizomes in particular are used as antiseptic and for healing cuts and bruises 4–6 . In the Tibetan system of medicine, the plant is used in the treat-ment of paralysis of limbs and cerebral ischaema 7 . However, no pharmacological and pharmaceutical studies have been made till date creating a lacunae in scien-tific verification of the medicinal use of the species. Despite its traditional medicinal use, the plant has a neglected status in the scientific community. Till date there has been neither an effort to conserve the germplasms of Brahma Kamal nor a focused research approach to document and evaluate true clinical potential of the species. Consequently, illicit and unsci-entific harvesting, constraints in conven-Figure 1. Brahma Kamal plant in flower-ing.