One of the claims Environment Minister Jairam
Ramesh made to justify his freeze on Bt brinjal was that the Bt gene
would “destroy the medicinal properties of brinjal” which is used in
several “traditional” forms of medicine.
This claim, too, is being contested by experts
as Ramesh comes under increasing pressure from within his government —
the Prime Minister has called a meeting after Agriculture Minister
Sharad Pawar warned against “ad hoc” decisions on GM food that could
set the “clock back” and demoralise Indian scientists.
“I have also been informed that Indian systems
of medicine, including ayurveda, siddha, homeopathy and unani, use
brinjal as a medicinal ingredient both in raw and cooked form for
treatment of respiratory diseases and that the entire brinjal plant is
used in such preparations,” said Ramesh in his written statement while
announcing the freeze.
“There is fear that Bt brinjal will destroy
these medicinal properties due to loss of synergy, differences in the
alkaloids and changes in other active principles.”
Significantly, the government’s Department of
Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH),
which falls under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was not
consulted on the issue, a senior official has confirmed to The Indian
Express.
When contacted today, Ramesh said: “There are
different points of view, that’s why we need more clarity.”
Experts counter his reasoning.
For one, C Nayak, Director General of Central
Council for Research in Homeopathy, told The Indian Express that no
variety of brinjal is used in homeopathic medicine.
Even in ayurveda or unani, experts say, not more
than five “wild varieties” — of the almost 300 types — of brinjal are
used. “The brinjal that we eat does not have any medicinal value,”
said Darshan Shankar, who launched the Foundation for Revitalisation
of Local Health Traditions in Bangalore and advises the Planning
Commission on the Indian system of medicine.
“Certain wild varieties, which have a slightly
different biochemical composition, do have medicinal properties and
these are frequently used in the Indian system of medicine — formal
like ayurveda or unani as well as oral or folk forms. The effect of Bt
gene on these varieties isn’t clear and we don’t even know whether the
gene is proposed to be introduced in these wild varieties too,” said
Shankar.
“If the gene is supposed to be introduced only
in varieties that are normally eaten by people, we need to ascertain
whether this gene would migrate to wild varieties. I don’t think there
have been enough experiments to conclude that the medicinal properties
would be destroyed,” he said.
A scientist who is a member of the Genetic
Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) which cleared Bt brinjal, said —
on the condition that he not be named — that the only change the Bt
gene brings in brinjal is in its ability to fight the fruit and shoot
borer that destroys the brinjal plant. “Every other quality of Bt
brinjal remains the same as that of non-Bt brinjal,” he said.
G S Lavekar, Director General of Central Council
for Research on Ayurveda and Siddha, said brinjal was used for
treatment of bronchitis and insomnia. Calling for more tests, he
admitted that there was no evidence so far that the Bt gene interfered
with brinjal’s medicinal properties.
