Flea grass revitalizes village's economy

The Flea Grass in Daka village. [Photo by Zheng Jinran/chinadaily.com.cn]

A traditional wild grass used by residents for generations has turned into a valuable herb to improve the livelihood of a village in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province.

Known as Flea Grass, the grass, or Adenosma buchneroides, has a distinctive fragrance and has long been cherished by the indigenous Hani people for its remarkable ability to repel fleas and mosquitoes.

"Our ancestors have always used these grasses," said Song Zhou, Party chief of Daka village, adding that they would dry them and place them on their beds or wear them to keep fleas and insects away.

The Flea Grass in Daka village. [Photo by Zheng Jinran/chinadaily.com.cn]

However, in recent years, this traditional remedy has begun to gain wider recognition. Since 2017, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, started the research and developed ways to better use this Flea Grass.

"It has become our 'prosperity plant'," says Song Zhou.

The production, processing and commercialization of Flea Grass has transformed it into a vital pillar of the local economy. This once-overlooked plant is now helping to drive economic growth and improve the livelihoods of the villagers.

An old villager from Daka village, Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous region is weaving ethnic-style sachets for Flea Grass ornaments. [Photo by Zheng Jinran/chinadaily.com.cn]

The villagers have cultivated the grass on a large scale and harnessed its medical properties. Their Flea Grass essential oil has been developed into a line of products designed to repel mosquitoes and relieve itching, which has received warm welcome in the market.

Around 100 households from the village participated in the planting of this unique herb, covering an area of over 46 hectares in 2023, and they have extracted 750 kilograms of Flea Grass essential oil, generating a combined income of 1.76 million yuan ($240,000).

They also sew the dry Flea Grass into embroidered sachets and place it in ethnic-style accessories and ornaments, which has been a skill possessed by many female villagers.

"We have taught them about the unified design of such ornaments, and gave them wages, which could provide them some extra income," said Liu Zhifang, who started the village's team of women in sewing such ornaments in the village, adding that over 90 female villages have joined in.