Sugandha Kokila

Cinnamomum glaucescens is an evergreen plant of the family Lauraceae. It is native to Nepal and grows wild in the districts of Dang, Rolpa, and Sallyan in the Rapti Zone. Cinnamomum glaucescens is a synonym of Camphora glaucescens. As Camphora glaucescens, the species is an evergreen tree native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, northeastern India, and Nepal, and to Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. It can grow to an elevation of 1,300 m.

The pericarp of the fruits can be distilled for an essential oil used in perfumery and traditional medicine. The oil is also used in indigenous medicine as a demulcent and stimulant. Cinnamomum glaucescens is recognized as an aromatic plant, meaning it has an elevated level of essential oil.

Cinnamomum glaucescens is among the non-timber forest products that are over harvested, and if the current rate of collection continues it may disappear from Nepalese forests. The species has been successfully cultivated. On a ranking scale of suitability for farming, with five highest and zero lowest, sugandha kokila ranked four. A project of the GEF Small Grants Programme mobilised two indigenous Nepalese communities and promoted the knowledge and tools to cultivate sugandha kokila. The two communities planted it on 13 ha of community forests and 6 ha of private land. Three women-run forest nurseries were set up to grow 30,000 seedlings of sugandha kokila, sapindus, cinnamon, zanthoxylum, lemon and asparagus. Additionally, 86 households were supported in developing suitable infrastructure for the processing of sugandha kokila.

In Chillikot village of Dang district, 29 households contribute about NPR 1.7 million annually to the local economy from non-timber forest products, including the collection of C. glaucescens berries. The species contributes about 53% of the total annual household income of those households.

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