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| Fig 1: The Kani Tribe, which was traditionally a nomadic community, is now mostly under conditions of extreme impoverishment. |
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| Fig 2: Kani tribal member identifies components of the arogyapaacha plant |
Kani tribe is an unorganised forest dwelling semi nomadic tribe in Kerala, South India. Jeevani is a restorative, immunoenhancing, antistress and antifatigue agent, based on the herbal medicinal plant arogyapaacha, used by the kani tribe in their traditional medicine. Within the Kani tribe the customary rights to transfer and practice certain traditional medicinal knowledge are held by tribal healers, known as Plathis. The knowledge was make known by three kani tribal members to the Indian scientists who isloted 12 active compounds from arogyapaacha, developed a drug "Jeevani", and filed two patent applications on the drug ( and another patent based on the same plant but for different use).The drug was developed by scientists at the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI). The technology was then licensed to the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Ltd., an Indian pharmacfeutical manufacturer pursuing the commercialisation of Ayurvedic herbal formulations. A Trust Fund was established to share the benefits arising from the commercialization of the TK-based drug “Jevaani”. The technology of production of this drug when transferred to a pharmaceutical company on payment of license fee and royalty of 2% on the ex factory sale of product, TBGRI resolved to share 1:1 of the license fee and royalty with the kani tribe. In addition to the licence fee and royalty that Kani trust is recieving, a large number of Kani families are now getting benfit from the cultivation of Aryogyapacha and supply of raw material (i.e the leaves of the plant) to the pharmaceutical company for the production of the drug.
'When you take a man from his land,