Now is the time for autumnal herb cultivation.

According to Jon Ryong Il, staffer of the Koryo medicine production management bureau under the Ministry of Public Health, it is very important to cultivate medicinal plants at the right time in consideration of their biological characters and the meteorological and climatic conditions of the relevant regions.

Medicinal plants are cultivated as a nationwide and all-people campaign in the DPRK as it regards the active protection of herb resources and the increase in Koryo medicine production as an important matter in protecting and promoting the people’s health, sprucing up the country’s natural scenery and handing down abundant resources to coming generations.

The gathering of herbs highly effective in autumn is under way at present.

According to data available, Koryo medicine production units of different regions including Pyongyang Municipality overfulfilled their first half-yearly quotas on all indices and have worked to cultivate highly effective herbs in large numbers in the month of autumnal herb cultivation.

September is a season for harvesting plants whose flowers, fruits and seeds are used as medicines.

Typical herbs in the season are adlay, an annual plant belonging to Poaceae, and santonica. Adlay is used to make tonics, varieties of antiphlogistics, diuretics, stomachics and painkillers and used as health food for general weakness, malnutrition, difficult urination, nephritis, gastritis and joint pain.

As a parasiticide, santonica, a perennial herb belonging to the aster family, is reportedly most effective as medicine in mid- and late September when the flower buds begin to turn red or yellow before opening.

Jon Ryong Il said that many herb producers raised the fertility of herb fields and created herb mountains in a far-sighted way from the beginning of this year, with the result that they overfulfilled their herb production plans.

Herb production is increasing in Pyongyang Municipality as well.

Herb production units in Sunan, Rangnang and other districts laid the foundation for ensuring safe yields while overcoming the adverse effects of calamitous abnormal weather by introducing herb cultivation techniques based on scientific farming methods. Herb cultivators conducted the work to protect herbs they planted from natural disasters to suit the specific features of regions, secured water resources needed for herb cultivation and applied bioactivators good for their growth in good time as required by science and technology, thereby increasing herb output.

They also raised the fertility of herb fields by spreading much fermented compost and organic fertilizer on them to suit their characteristics.

The Koryo medicine production management bureau under the Ministry of Public Health has pressed ahead with the work to put the quality management of Koryo medicinal materials from Koryo medicine pharmaceutical factories across the country on a scientific and modern basis, making it possible to improve the quality of Koryo medicines.