Tea maker seeks DENR nod to cut narra trees

A company that manufactures herbal tea and capsules from narra tree branches has applied with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for a permit to cut branches of narra trees standing in public forests.

Virgilio Ecarma, after whom the Ecarma herbal tea and capsules are named, said his company expanding and the supply of raw materials from regular sources is no longer sufficient to meet the growing requirements both here and in Africa.

Ecarma said that in 1999, he applied with then Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Victor Ramos for a reforestation project to ensure the long-term viability of his project. But since his production then was not so big, Ramos advised him to just source his requirement from existing private narra plantations considering that he uses only the branches and not the entire tree. He said he was advised to work out a sharing arrangement with the tribal communities in Regions 2 and CAR for his raw material requirements.

Ecarma met with the tribal communities in Cauayan, Isabela which has the thickest narra growth in the country right now. Ecarma, who used to teach flying at the Philippine Air Force until he joined and flew Philppine Airlines planes for 38 years, said he wants to propagate narra plantations not just for his company’s requirements but to help the government in its reforestation efforts.

"My intention is to have these thick forest vegetation for the future generations who, like us, deserve this natural heritage," he said.

Ecarma holds the patent for his invention, which came accidentally after he retired from PAL. Back then, he had severe attacks of rheumatoid arthritis, a disease he had been suffering from since his elementary grades but which he did not allow to stand in the way of attaining his goals in life.

The Ecarma manufacturing facility stands on a 4.2-hectare lot in Pililla, Rizal which includes a mini plantation where 1,300 trees were planted five years ago. Of this number, only about 500 trees are highly productive.

"Though narra is easy to plant, it has to be cared for by removing all the weeds and vines creeping at their trunks. My mistake was I left them to grow naturally which is why I could not have 100 percent productivity from the trees I planted," he said.

Ecarma said he is looking for other sites in Pililla or other Rizal towns especially those with hilly slopes to plant narra trees not just to supply his company with the raw materials but also to prevent soil erosion and arrest the further balding of the country’s remaining forest lands.

Ecarma tea and capsules are now selling in all Mercury Drug outlets as a food supplement.

Ecarma makes not claim as to the medicinal value of his product. Yet there are reports that cases of terminal cancer, tuberculosis, AIDS, heart ailment and other debilitating diseases have been cured after some weeks — in more serious cases, months — of taking Ecarma either in capsules or in tea form.