Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of AYUSH, successfully conducted a three-day training programme on “Identification of Flora” in the biodiverse Wayanad district of Kerala from January 27 to 29, 2026.
The programme was designed to provide hands-on training in the identification and study of medicinal plants, with extensive field exposure across diverse ecological settings of the Western Ghats, one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots.
The inaugural session was attended by eminent dignitaries, including Vaidya Rabinarayana Acharya, Director General, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), New Delhi; Vaidya Mohan Lal Jaiswal, retired Professor, National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur; Vaidya Madhu K.P., Associate Professor, Vaidyaratnam P.S. Varrier Ayurveda College, Kottakkal; and Ms. Rose Joseph, Range Officer, North Wayanad Division, Department of Forest, Government of Kerala.
Thirty postgraduate students specialising in Dravyaguna participated in the programme and gained first-hand exposure to the rich medicinal plant diversity of Wayanad. The training included guided field visits and interactive sessions with subject experts, focusing on techniques of medicinal plant identification, habitat-specific flora, and principles of biodiversity conservation.
The programme significantly enhanced participants’ applied understanding of medicinal botany, which is essential for Ayurvedic education, research, and clinical practice.
Through such initiatives, Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth continues to promote experiential learning and capacity building among Ayurveda students and practitioners, while fostering the integration of traditional knowledge systems with biodiversity conservation efforts.
