Omani folk medicine inspired wellness kit may hit market soon

Muscat: A team of researchers has put together a wellness kit completely inspired by Omani folk medicine.
The team had participated in the Oman Animal and Plant Genetic Resources Centre’s (OAPGRC’s) Manafaa Ideathon that was held on February 23 and 24 in Muscat.
OAPGRC recognised the team’s project as one that could be turned into an actual business idea. “With the Manafaa ideathon, we aim to float four business ideas on biodiversity that could be embraced by the business incubators in the Sultanate, to be then transferred into real business projects,” an OAPGRC statement said.
The team said there were three products in their medicine kit. “Our wellness kit is inspired by Omani folk medicine to aid in everyday aches and pains. We have three products in the kit. The first of the products is capsule supplements made from the commonly known in Arabic as ‘tafer tais’ to help in bone and back pains,” the statement added.
“Our other product is made from the ‘Zamoota’ plant and Omani honey, to be used as sucking candy to aid in digestion problems, as well as cold symptoms. The final product from this line is extracted from the ‘Qafas’ plant and meant to be used as a muscle and joint pain relaxer,” an official statement from the team said.
The team members said their business idea would help Omani farmers in certain regions, while actively preventing over-exploitation of the medicinal plants.
“We will be using plant resources bought from Omani farmers, bringing in-country value without negatively exploiting whatever resources we already have. Also, we will be adding value to genetic resources,” the statement added.
The team members insisted that in many cases, traditional Omani medicine was an effective alternative to conventional allopathic treatments.
“Folk medicine is practised till this day and is very common in many households worldwide. It is a great way of natural healing that can be just as effective as the chemical alternatives,” it added.
Modern packaging
The team said they wanted to package Omani folk medicine in a contemporary and modern manner.
“We’ve been using the wide range of plant wildlife in Oman in folk medicine for thousands of years, but we’ve always used it in the same way. We wanted to bring a brand that captures the essence of Omani folklore and bring in products that are modern, easy, convenient and can fit into our busy lifestyles today,” the statement said.
“These plants are not commonly used in the industrial market and are not known on an international level. Our brand will add safe labeling and dosages to the world market,” the statement added.
The team members asserted that their goal was to add value to existing plant resources to modern and safe products.