Dear list members,

We are looking for help to obtain ayurvedic plant material.

We are preparing a photographic atlas of Ayurvedic plants, the main author of which will be Jan Meulenbeld. We already have a good collection of whole plants and plant parts (roots, leaves, stems, seeds, et cetera), but  we could use more material.  So we are asking you for your assistance in finding more.

We are looking for people who would want to visit a local  trade shop in India for ayurvedic plants, and buy small but representative quantities of as many whole plants and plant parts as you can from a list that we will provide. The list contains a few hundred plant names in Hindi. You could actually just hand over the list to the shop owner, ask him what he has in stock, and buy small quantities of everything he has avaliable. Then you would send the whole package to our man  in India who will ship everything to us.

It is important to keep in mind that we do not ask you to botanically identify the plants or for any other expert judgement:  we do not mind at all to receive plants that are misidentified or sold as an adulturant, because that would be useful information too.

Of course we will reimburse all expenses incurred. And you will receive a free copy of the Ayurvedic plant atlas, which will appear in 2014! For more information about our plant atlases and handbooks, see www.plantatlas.eu.

If you want to help us or want more info from us before you make a decision, please send an email to Roelf Barkhuis, info@barkhuis.nl.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Jan Meulenbeld, René Cappers, Roelf Barkhuis