On May 19, 2026, Assam Rifles foiled a major smuggling attempt near Zorinpui along the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram, recovering 150 bags of illegal Anchiri, locally known as Paris polyphylla, valued at around ₹51 lakh.
Three people were apprehended after the consignment was allegedly moved through the Sekul river before being loaded onto trucks.
Earlier in April, Assam Rifles had also seized 102 bags of the medicinal plant worth around ₹36 lakh in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district. According to officials, the consignment was intercepted near Zorinpui after being smuggled through the same Sekul river route and brought to a river-road junction for loading onto a truck.
The repeated seizures have once again drawn attention to the growing illegal trade in Paris polyphylla, a high-value medicinal herb found across the Himalayan and Northeastern regions.
What is Paris polyphylla?
Paris polyphylla is a rare medicinal herb found in the Himalayan and Northeast Indian regions, including Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and parts of Myanmar and China. The plant is known by different local names, including Anchiri in parts of Northeast India.
It grows slowly in forested mountain areas and is especially valued for its rhizome — the underground stem-like root used in traditional medicine.
According to the National Library of Medicine, Paris polyphylla has long been used in traditional Chinese, Tibetan, and folk medicine for treating inflammation, infections, snake bites, fever, wounds, and certain respiratory illnesses.
Modern scientific studies are also examining its possible anti-cancer and antimicrobial properties because the plant contains medicinal compounds known as steroidal saponins.
Why is it so valuable?
The demand for Paris polyphylla has increased sharply over the years because of its use in herbal medicine and pharmaceutical research.
According to research published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology and studies referenced by the Botanical Survey of India, the rhizome of the plant can fetch extremely high prices in illegal markets because the herb is difficult to cultivate and takes several years to mature naturally in forests.
This high commercial value has turned the plant into a major target for illegal harvesting and trafficking networks operating across the Indo-Myanmar border.
Why is the trade illegal?
The trade becomes illegal when the plant is harvested without permission from protected forests or transported without the required forest and wildlife clearances.
According to the Forest Department and TRAFFIC India, wild populations of Paris polyphylla are declining rapidly because of overharvesting. Since collectors uproot the entire plant to obtain the rhizome, natural regeneration becomes extremely difficult.
In many parts of Northeast India, including Mizoram and Manipur, authorities regulate or restrict the collection and transportation of the plant under forest conservation laws. Smuggling often takes place through remote border routes where monitoring remains difficult.
Mizoram shares a long and porous border with Myanmar, making it an important corridor for both legal trade and illegal trafficking activities.
Forest officials and security agencies have repeatedly reported that wildlife products, medicinal plants, areca nuts, and narcotics are often smuggled through river routes and jungle tracks along the border.
According to a study published on ScienceDirect, in India, Paris polyphylla is found across several Himalayan and Northeastern states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, and West Bengal, typically growing at elevations between 1,000 and 4,000 metres above sea level.
Investigators believe traffickers exploit both local demand and cross-border networks to move the plant in bulk across the Indo-Myanmar border.
Conservationists warn that the plant is disappearing from several natural habitats. According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessments cited in regional conservation studies, overexploitation and habitat destruction are threatening the species in several Asian countries.
Experts caution that if illegal extraction continues unchecked, wild populations could collapse, affecting both biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities dependent on forest ecosystems.
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