Tuong Duong: Mass exploitation of cu li trees

(Baonghean.vn)- In Tuong Duong district, people are in the season of exploiting the cu li tree - a precious medicinal herb called kim mao cau tich, which is called by other names such as cu long, cu lien, and monkey hair.

On the top of Ve mountain slope, Yen Na commune, Tuong Duong district, people gather cu li trees after transporting them from the forest to sell to traders.

This is a type of tree that has been exploited and used by people as medicine for a long time. Some people in the lowlands use the hair of this tree to stop bleeding.

To dig for coolies, people have to go from dawn to dusk, climb the Ve slope, and reach the high, humid mountains - the habitat of this plant. In the afternoon, groups of people bring coolies down the mountain.

People use baskets to carry coolies to the assembly point at the foot of the mountain.

Here, the coolies have their fur shaved according to the traders' requests.

In addition to the hair used to stop bleeding, the core of the cu li root is used as medicine with the effect of nourishing the liver and kidneys, strengthening tendons and bones, and eliminating rheumatism.

Previously, cu li trees grew a lot on Ve mountain, Yen Na commune, but now to exploit them we have to go deeper into the mountains.

According to Yen Na commune residents, coolie miners often go in groups, usually couples. If they are lucky enough to find a good tree field, they can dig up about 100 - 1500 coolies a day.

The coolies will sell all the fish they catch. Traders bring scales to the foot of the mountain to buy at the price of 16-18 thousand VND/kilo.

The coolie is a precious medicinal plant, known in oriental medicine as mao cau tich. However, the massive exploitation by people has made this species increasingly rare. If not managed and planned, in the future, this medicinal plant will certainly disappear like some other precious plants.

Video clip: People gather cu li trees waiting for traders to buy

Nguyen Khoa - Ho Phuong