Deep in the forests of Nagaland, two elderly healers — aged 85 and 78 — have been treating the sick for over four decades using nothing but plants they know by name, season, and instinct. 

No prescriptions or hospitals. Just bark, roots, and leaves ground into powder, and a body of knowledge passed down through generations.

For years, this practice stayed within the community, largely invisible to the outside world. 

Now, a team of researchers from Nagaland University, Berhampur University, and Saveetha Medical College is taking a closer look — because what these healers may have been quietly treating, in some cases, is cancer.

The research is part of a broader scientific effort focused on medicinal plants and forest-based knowledge systems in Northeast India — one of the country's richest biodiversity hotspots and home to 17 tribes, each with distinct healing traditions. 

"Each tribe has its own traditional knowledge to treat diseases," says Dr G Bupesh, Assistant Professor in Natural Products and Tribal Health Research at Nagaland University.

The Konyaks, one of the largest indigenous tribes in Nagaland, live primarily in Mon district along the India–Myanmar border. Their healing practices, built on close observation of forest ecosystems, have been passed down orally for generations.

For generations, Konyak healers in Nagaland have used forest herbs to treat ailments. Photograph: (AIR News)

"The healers are called COPRAs," Dr Bupesh explains. "They play an important role in remote areas where people don't........

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