LUCKNOW – The ’sanjivani’ may not be just myth. Scientists are now busy trying to identify the magical herb, which according to the Indian epic Ramayana brought back to life Lord Ram’s dying brother Lakshman.

Having found a few Himalayan herbs that match the description of the sanjivani, a team of five scientists at the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) here is working on identifying the properties of each of these.

“We are engaged in a genetic analysis of these herbs to zero in on what we are looking for in a true sanjivani herb,” said team leader P.N. Khare.

What has made the task difficult is the lookalike features of several different herbs found at high altitudes in the Himalayas from where monkey god Hanuman is understood to have fetched the herb to save the life of Lakshman who was injured in battle.

One of the herbs which appeared to be very close to the sanjivani, as identified in the Ramayana, has a very special property: no matter how dead it might appear, on being kept under dry conditions, it revives within minutes of being exposed to moisture.

“In fact, we are looking into this unique feature, which is quite rare and appears to be the key factor for its hidden rejuvenating strength,” Khare said.

While NBRI scientists are engaged in the project, ayurvedic researchers at yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Pantajali Ashram in Rishikesh claim to have already found the right herb.

“We do not dispute their claim, but as far as we are concerned we would not like to make any claim without substantiating it with laboratory proof,” Khare said.