ROMANIJA HERBS - STORY ABOUT MAN WHO DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO PLANTS

From the first six plants to today’s blend of 33, Mladenko is building his story around Romanija herbs, while herbalism has long since become much more than a job for him, growing into a life mission. By Maja Brčkalo

PALE, OCTOBER 11 /SRNA/ – In the forests and meadows of Mount Romanija, plants that have been part of folk traditions and natural medicine for centuries continue to grow. Mladenko Srdija, an herbalist who unexpectedly found his calling in Pale, has been working with these plants for years. Where others see only grass and flowers, Mladenko recognises the plants, their scents and uses. For more than 15 years, he has been searching for them across Romanija, studying, drying and preparing them. He has named his work Romanija Herbs. Originally from Donji Vakuf, Srdija came to Pale due to a set of circumstances, which is where his story with herbs began. "I stayed in Pale for health reasons and started collecting these herbs. I called them Romanija Herbs because they are gathered throughout the Romanija area and a little beyond," Srdija told SRNA. FROM JUST A FEW PLANTS IN HIS FIRST ELIXIRS TO 33 TODAY He says it all began in 2009, when he made his first drops using just a few plants that helped him personally. He later shared them with people close to him, whose positive experiences encouraged him to continue. He explains that he subsequently began studying herbs in details, acquiring specialist literature and refining his recipes. "That was when I first made drops from about six plants. I took them myself, my wound healed, and I regained my strength. I started sharing them with my neighbours, and everyone said they were good. That was how I decided to pursue this and began reading and acquiring specialist books," Srdija recalls. His drops now contain 33 plants which cleanse blood vessels, prevent blood clotting and help normalise cholesterol, triglyceride and uric acid levels, which proved beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people who used them recovered very quickly. FROM TEAS AND OINTMENTS TO DROPS PREVENTING SPREAD OF CANCER CELLS He says IT gave him additional motivation to continue, so he expand his range with various other products, including ointments and salves made with petroleum jelly, lanolin and plant juice, as well as creams, teas and herbal drops prepared from plants collected on the plateaus of the Romanija and Jahorina mountains. Srdija says he prepares different blends depending on their intended use, emphasising the importance of choosing the right plant and harvesting it at the appropriate time. "We have various ointments for different wounds, injuries, eczema, joints and muscles; comfrey cream for back pain; products for skin conditions, including calendula preparations. There are various teas and blends, depending on the illness they are intended for. We have drops for sinus problems, as well as drops intended to prevent the spread of cancer cells. There are also drops for the thyroid gland and for lowering blood sugar," Srdija says. HERBALISM MUCH MORE THAN JOB Behind every product lies a lengthy process, from finding the plant in nature and harvesting it to drying it and preparing the finished product. Srdija’s herbal season lasts throughout the year. It begins in early spring, when the first buds appear and certain plants are dug up by their roots, continues through the summer and ends with the autumn harvest. "You have to know when each plant is ready and when to harvest it. I managed to build a good, naturally ventilated drying room. I converted about 40 square metres of attic space beneath the roof of my house into a drying room, so there are no interruptions in the process. My family helps me with the work, but I still collect most of the herbs myself," Srdija says, adding that he does so for a simple reason: he wants to know what has been collected, where it was gathered and how it was prepared. Srdija says his goal is not to expand production quickly but to preserve quality. He emphasises that herbalism is much more than a job to him, as the trust of people who keep coming back is what matters most. FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING – ROMANIJA’S UNPOLLUTED NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Mount Romanija occupies a special place in his story, providing the rich natural resources on which his work depends, as this mountain is clean. When you pick a plant in clean, unspoilt nature, Srdija says, it cannot die. According to him, natural habitats are becoming increasingly scarce, and obtaining high-quality herbs is becoming more difficult because of deforestation, disappearing springs and various human activities that are changing the areas where plants grow. Srdija notes that significant differences in the quality of the same plant can sometimes be observed even over relatively short distances. From the first six plants to today’s blend of 33, and from a personal experience to more than a decade of dedication to herbalism, Mladenko has been building his story around Romanija Herbs - something that means far more to him than a job. For Mladenko, it represents a life spent in nature, searching for plants, learning and refining his skills, while also striving to preserve knowledge that, as he says, is becoming increasingly difficult to pass on at a time when nature is suffering ever greater consequences from human activity. And as Romanija changes its appearance with the seasons, Mladenko Srdija keeps searching for its herbs and collecting them carefully. For him, it is a story that began out of personal necessity but has grown into a life mission and a love of nature which, as he says, gave him a new path.