A wild Himalayan spice is helping 200 families protect 100 sq km of forest while generating an income of Rs 39 lakh

For generations, indigenous communities in Arunachal Pradesh had been using a spice in their food for its citrusy, tongue-tingling flavour. The native plant was a part of their world and that's all they knew. But today, the small spice is helping 200 families gain a livelihood while also protecting agricultural land.On autumn mornings, residents of Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district head into the forest with baskets, looking for a thorny shrub that has shaped local food, medicine and trade for generations. Known locally as Khagi, Erma, Shyein or Yarma, depending on the tribe and the region, Zanthoxylum is a wild Himalayan spice whose tiny fruits release a sharp citrus aroma and a tingling numbness on the tongue that is extremely flavourful.The spice secretIt was used to flavour meat curries, chutneys and millet dishes in tribal homes of the region.Long before it became a part of trade across the mountain passes, it was used to flavour meat curries, chutneys and millet dishes in tribal homes of the region. Its bark, fruits and seeds were also used in local healing traditions. Now, people in the Mandala Phudung Khellong Community Conserved Area (CCA) in the West Kameng district...