The Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in Uttarakhand has set up a panel to find the mythical sanjeevani herb that is believed to have the potential to cure any disease, reported Hindustan Times. Researchers will look for the Ayurvedic herb, mentioned in Indian epic Ramayana, in the Dronagiri range, around 400 km from Dehradun.

The state had reached out to the Centre for funds for the expedition, but after the government refused to contribute, the Harish Rawat-led Congress administration decided to finance the project. State AYUSH minister Surendra Singh Negi said, “We will work on the research project on our own … Globally, the herbs market is booming, and we intend to identify the epic plant having life-saving qualities.” The budget allotted for the search is not not known yet.

In 2008, yoga guru Ramdev's disciple Acharya Balkrishna said that his team of researchers had found the elusive herb in Uttarakhand. They have purportedly filed for its patent as well.