Yanung Jamoh Lego

Yanung Jamoh Lego
Lego at her herbalist centre in Pasighat
Born (1963-07-09) July 9, 1963
Sika Todke, East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India
EducationM.Sc. (Assam Agricultural University)
OccupationsRetired Arunachal Pradesh agriculture department officer; folk herbalist
AwardsPadma Shri (2024)

Yanung Jamoh Lego (born 9 July 1963) is an Indian folk herbalist from Arunachal Pradesh who practises a form of plant-based medicine drawn from the traditions of the Adi community.[1] Her work falls within the broader tradition of Indian folk medicine, which is regarded as pseudoscience. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2024.[2][3]

Lego has told regional Indian media that her herbal preparations can treat serious illnesses including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy and leprosy.[4] None of these claims has been tested in a clinical trial or evaluated in a peer-reviewed study,[5] and no herbal preparation has been shown to treat or cure any of these diseases.[6][7][8] The traditional Indian medical systems promoted under the Ministry of Ayush are widely described in the scientific literature as pseudoscientific.[9][10]

Early life and career

Lego was born in the village of Sika Todke in East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, to an Adi family that practised folk plant medicine.[11] She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in agriculture from Assam Agricultural University in Jorhat,[11] and served in the Agriculture Department of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh from 1988 until her retirement in 2023.[12] Alongside her government work she opened a private herbal practice in Pasighat in 1995, and in 2009 founded a local outreach project called Indigenous Herbal Heritage.[11][4]

From around 2005, while still serving in the agriculture department, Lego organised about 80 women's self-help groups across East Siang district to promote home herb gardens and the cultivation of plants traditionally used in Adi medicine, drawing on funding from schemes such as the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.[13] Indigenous Herbal Heritage, the body she established in 2009, builds on this work by teaching foraging practices and the in-situ conservation of medicinal plants, several of which are reported to be threatened in the Eastern Himalaya by deforestation, overharvesting and changes in local climate.[13] Members of the affiliated self-help groups supply herbs to her clinic in Pasighat on a paid basis.[13] She holds no formal qualification in any system of medicine recognised under Indian law; although her clinic website and some promotional material style her as "Dr. Lego".[14][15]

Scientific assessment

None of Lego's medical claims is supported by published clinical evidence. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that no herb has been proven an effective treatment for any disease,[5] and Cancer Research UK reports that there is no reliable evidence supporting the use of herbal medicine to treat cancer.[6] A National Cancer Institute study of 1.68 million cancer patients found that those who turned to alternative therapies, including herbal remedies, in place of conventional treatment died at substantially higher rates than those who did not.[8][16] Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic and folk herbal preparations have repeatedly been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, mercury and arsenic.[7]

Ayurveda and the wider tradition of Indian folk medicine, of which Adi herbalism is a regional variant, are characterised in the scientific and academic literature as pseudoscientific, biologically implausible and unsupported by evidence-based medicine.[17][3] The Ministry of Ayush, which oversees and promotes these traditional systems, has been criticised by independent scientists and by the Indian Medical Association for endorsing therapies for which no supporting evidence exists.[9][10] No independent audit of treatment outcomes from Lego's own practice has been published.[4][18]

Public criticism

In June 2026, Instagram had blocked Lego's account in India over public health concerns, with the platform's action described as a step to prevent the dissemination of content that could endanger public health.[19]

Further, the hepatologist Cyriac Abby Philips, who posts on social media as "The Liver Doc" and has published peer-reviewed research on liver injury linked to Indian traditional medicines, has publicly challenged Lego[20] over her claims of curing cancer, diabetes and other serious illnesses, and has called on her to take part in a televised debate to produce clinical evidence for her preparations. [21]

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Herbal medicine expert Yanung Jamoh Lego honoured with Padma Shri Award". The Arunachal Times. 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  2. 1 2 "Padma Awards 2024 citation" (PDF). padmaawards.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  3. 1 2 Beall, Jeffrey (2018). "Scientific soundness and the problem of predatory journals". Pseudoscience: The Conspiracy Against Science. MIT Press: 283–299. ISBN 978-0-262-03742-6.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
  4. 1 2 3 Newsmeter Network (2024-12-03). "Solution to every disease lies in jungle, says Arunachal herbal medicine expert Yanung Jamoh Lego". newsmeter.in. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  5. 1 2 "Using Dietary Supplements Wisely". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 2026-06-06. It is completely false to claim any herbs have been proven effective treatments for any disease.
  6. 1 2 "Herbal medicine". Cancer Research UK. Retrieved 2026-06-06. There is not enough reliable scientific evidence to use it as a treatment for cancer.
  7. 1 2 Saper, R. B.; Phillips, R. S.; Sehgal, A.; et al. (2008). "Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet". JAMA. 300 (8): 915–923. doi:10.1001/jama.300.8.915. PMC 2755247. PMID 18728265.
  8. 1 2 National Cancer Institute. "Use of Alternative Medicine for Cancer and Its Impact on Survival". cancer.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  9. 1 2 Bagcchi, Sanjeet (2015). "India's ministry promoting traditional medicine criticised". BMJ. 350 h1297. doi:10.1136/bmj.h1297. PMID 25762421.
  10. 1 2 Shaikh, Sumaiya (2020-04-19). "To tackle a virus, Indian officials peddle pseudoscience". Undark. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sigar military station honours Padma Shri awardee Yanung Jamoh Lego". India Today NE. 2025-07-09. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  12. ↑ "Indian Army felicitates herbal practitioner Yanung Jamoh Lego". ANI News. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  13. 1 2 3 Dhar, Aatreyee (2025-07-25). "How Arunachal's women healers are conserving rare, endangered plants". BehanBox. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  14. ↑ "About Dr. Lego". yanungjamohlego.com. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  15. ↑ Tayeng, Maksam (2025-04-10). "Yanung Jamoh Lego herbal treatment and transport booking". NorthEast Advisor. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  16. ↑ Johnson, S. B.; Park, H. S.; Gross, C. P.; Yu, J. B. (2018). "Use of alternative medicine for cancer and its impact on survival". Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 110 (1): 121–124. doi:10.1093/jnci/djx145. PMID 28922780.
  17. ↑ Semple, S. J.; Reynolds, G. D.; O'Leary, M. C.; Flower, R. L. (1998). "Screening of Australian medicinal plants for antiviral activity". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 60 (2): 163–172. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(97)00152-9.
  18. ↑ "'Adi Queen of Herbs' Yanung Jamoh Lego conferred Padma Shri". thenewsmill.com. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  19. ↑ Mahindra, Ashima Sharda (2026-06-27). "Instagram blocks Padma Shri-awardee herbalist Yanung Jamoh Lego's account in India, flags public health danger". Times Now. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  20. ↑ Northeast Live (2026-06-27). The Liver Doc Challenges Padma Shri Herbalist Yanung Jamoh Lego from Arunachal Pradesh. Retrieved 2026-07-14 – via YouTube.
  21. ↑ "The Liver Doc challenges Padma Shri herbalist Yanung Jamoh Lego from Arunachal Pradesh". North East Live. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
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