October 18: Lingzhi Dungkhag is situated on the northern part of Thimphu. Life in this windswept alpine region can be harsh and not many people live here apart from the semi-nomadic Bjobs. But the land is rich in natural resources and it is blessed with plenty of medicinal plants.

Twice a year, staff from the Traditional Medicine Services visit the Dungkhag to collect medicinal herbs.

But collecting the medicinal herbs is not an easy task. Some of the rare medicinal plants grow on difficult terrains and often they have to walk for more than a day to find these herbs.

The people here who also collect the medicinal herbs say it is not worth the trouble they have to go through. They prefer collecting Cordyceps because the financial returns are better.

According to officials from the Traditional Medicine Services, not many people are interested in collecting medicinal plants especially when the season coincides with the Cordyceps collection.

Thanks to Cordyceps and the medicinal plants, the income of the people has increased. But this important source of income is being threatened by unsustainable methods of harvesting. The beautiful meadows of Lingzhi, where the yaks roam and graze, are now with garbage.

Sometimes collectors dig around the plants. This according to officials from the Traditional Medicinal Services hampers their growth.

Not long ago Bhutan was known as Lhojong Menjong, the home of the medicinal plants because of the wide variety of medicinal plants which grow here. Medicinal herbs are collected from Lingzhi, Bumthang and Gasa in the north and Trongsa, Zhemgang and Gelephu in the central and southern areas.

This year alone, the traditional medicine services collected 18 tons of traditional medicines from Lingzhi.