Students (2^nd Semester, 2025 Batch) and faculty of the Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir, recently concluded a field trip to Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, aimed at the collection and study of medicinal plants found in the region's meadows and forest belts.

The trip, organized as part of the curriculum in medicinal Chemistry and natural products, saw the participation of 2^nd Semester students, accompanied by Prof. Masood A. Rizvi, Dr. Nayeem Ahmed, Dr. Manzoor Malik and Dr. Junaid Ali.

Pahalgam's rich Himalayan flora offered students an opportunity to observe and collect specimens of medicinally important species growing in the wild, including Valeriana jatamansi, Podophyllum hexandrum, Bergenia ciliata, Aconitum heterophyllum, Rheum australe, Artemisia species, and Thymus linearis, among others. Under faculty supervision, students recorded habitat details, photographed specimens in situ, and collected samples for herbarium preparation, following standard protocols for sustainable and permitted collection.

The programme also included a field lecture on the pharmacological significance of Himalayan medicinal plants, techniques of specimen pressing and preservation, and a discussion on the conservation challenges facing high-altitude flora due to overharvesting and climate change.