Control the massive exploitation of cu li trees

(Baonghean) - The cu li tree also has other names such as cu lien, cu lan, long khi tree, which is the folk name of the kim mao cau tich tree. This is a precious medicinal plant that has been widely used in Oriental medicine. Currently, in Tuong Duong, there is a rampant exploitation of this plant.

People process coolies before selling them to traders.

In recent days, along the mountain pass from Ban Ve Hydropower Plant to Yen Na Commune, Tuong Duong District, many people have gathered cu li trees to wait for traders to come and buy them. Cu li trees are piled up in all kinds of different sizes and shapes. The area where the cu li trees are gathered is bustling with the laughter and calls of families trying to transport the cu li trees from the top of the mountain, the sound of chopping knives, and then the traders coming to buy them...

People said that in the past, the cu li tree grew a lot but is gradually becoming scarce.

Mr. Nguyen Van Toi, Xieng Lip village, Yen Hoa commune said that in the past, cu li trees grew a lot on Ve mountain, around the damp streams. However, in recent years, people have exploited them so much that this species has also disappeared. Currently, cu li diggers like him have to go from dawn, cross the top of Ve mountain, go deep into other mountainous areas to find cu li trees. After finding a place where cu li trees grow, he and everyone together clean up the upper part of the tree trunk, then use hoes to dig deep to get the roots, then carry them through the forest to the gathering place. If in the past, cu li trees grew a lot, sold at low prices so few people went to exploit them, now traders go to the foot of the mountain to buy them for 16 - 18 thousand VND/yen. Although the price is not too expensive, it is easy to sell, so people rush to exploit it, making this tree species increasingly scarce. Every day, if they find a place where the trees grow, each group can dig up 2 - 3 quintals of cu li.

Traders buy coolies for 16 to 18 thousand VND per kg.

After being brought down the mountain, the coolies must go through a process of trimming and removing the roots before being purchased by traders. Mr. Luc Van Mao, a resident of Yen Na commune, said that the coolie plant is called the cut nang ni plant by the Thai people, and is used as a bone tonic. The hair of this plant has a hemostatic effect and has been used for a long time. The plant grows in high mountainous areas, where it is humid all year round, and the roots run about 30cm underground. According to Mr. Mao, in recent years, traders often drive trucks to Yen Na, Yen Hoa, and Yen Thang to hunt for this plant. Some traders from the lowlands, and some from Quy Hop, follow National Highway 48C to buy it. "I don't know what they buy it for, some say it's for making traditional medicine, some say it's for re-importing to traders. We only know how to exploit it and sell it to earn extra income, but no one knows where they take it or what they do with it," said Mr. Mao.

The cu li tree is a precious medicinal plant. However, for a long time, people in mountainous areas have been exploiting it massively, spontaneously, without planning and without any control from the locality or any specialized unit. This will certainly cause this medicinal plant to quickly disappear. This is a matter of concern for Tuong Duong district as well as other districts with precious medicinal plants...

Science - Method