The person who manages ‘Royal Virgin’ plantation (Crinum latifolium L.) on behalf of Dr. Tram now is a single 30-year-old man – Manh. He graduated economics course from a university in Hanoi. He has stayed here for 5 years, “watching flowers bloom four times” so that he knows all “bad habits” of ‘Royal Virgins’ when the weather changes.

Manh told us, "You can write anything but do not put this place on the report. I am afraid that if many people know, they will come to ask for the leaves, ruining my garden.” Dr. Tram has the same condition, but she is worried that other people steal bulbs and plant them in an “improper environment”. Moreover, lacking knowledge about caring and collecting ... would “harm” the prestige of Crinum latifolium L. Also for that reason, she did not hesitate to give us a tour of Crinum latifolium L. gardens which were discovered not to be Vietnamese genuine Crinum latifolium L. through her research”.

Dr. Tram revealed that now she collected 12 different Crinum latifolium L., in which one plant brought from Cambodia by her friend as a gift has totally different effects from Vietnamese Crinum latifolium L. She said, layman can only distinguish them in blooming season, but not everyone knows when they bloom. To distinguish them accurately, Dr. Tram based on botanical classification and a method called...fingerprint technique! When we met, the one thing she concerned about was that nowadays people would pick and use leaves without clear origin through words of mouth, which would be very dangerous. She said, “Apart from similar effects to Vietnamese Crinum latifolium L., Cambodian one has contraceptive property due to the feature adapting to both rainy and dry seasons”. Therefore, if women having symptoms of uterine fibroids drink it, they can become infertile”.

However, in the plantation of Dr. Tram now, there are not only “Royal Virgins”- “she” but also “he” such as red-flower Crinum (also called sword-leaf Crinum), white-flower Crinum...which have the same figure and are identified to belongs to the same Crinum genus as “she”. Dr. Tram’s comparison between Crinum latifolium L. and “white-flower Crinum” is that white-flower Crinum has an oblong egg-shaped peduncle, thicker and darker-green leaves, and white flowers. In terms of microsurgery: lower side of white-flower Crinum’s leaf is a regular arc, symmetrical with mid rib, having big hollow tissues...Dr. Tram noted this fact because in Crinum genus, there is a plant called ‘the generals’ containing a lot of toxicity (which are allowed to be researched now by the Ministry of Health). If misusing, users’ lives can be threatened. Besides, another plant with a charming name - “Lan hue” – (orchid and lily) is also likely to be confused with current Crinum latifolium L. Dr. Tram said, “Compared with Crinum latifolium L., “Lan hue” has blue-white and more fragrant flowers, more narrow petals. Unopened bud is oblong with yellowish-light green leaves with red short peduncle”. Undoubtedly, “Lan hue” does not have optimal bioactivities as Crinum latifolium L.

Through many years of research, Dr. Tram insisted that determining correct plants but if the soil, climate, care regulations and a series of ‘secrets’ weren’t complied, Crinum latifolium L. is just a normal houseplant. She repeatedly emphasized, “This herb is selective about its plantation. Therefore, to display its effect, we have to start from the ecosystem. The first step is analyzing the soil, where to grow for the plant to have effect of inhibiting tumor”.

The question “Where to grow?” actually was indirectly answered as she let us visit the plantation in Long Thanh - Dong Nai province. However, from there, we discovered many things that were completely different from what we had learned from documents we had read previously. For example, a document of Science and Technology Publisher said that the land used to plant Crinum latifolium L. needs thoroughly plowing, loosing, and fertilizing each hectare with 25-30 tons of manure, 500 kg of superphosphate, and 300 kg of potassium sulfate”. After having been grown for 40 - 45 days, apply additional fertilizer for the first time. Dilute 50 kg of urea for each hectare with water, then water around their roots. Until June or July, the leaves could be collected. After each time collecting leaves (approximately 25-30 days) additional fertilizer were applied once more”..., or “may be planted together with Fabaceae, gold money herb or orange, lemon, grapefruit tree…”
In contrast, Dr. Tram does not allow any other crops to “share” with her Crinum latifolium L. and are “allergic” to all kinds of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. “We do not use any chemical fertilizers but decomposed cow manure”, she affirmed. Particularly, about the collection matter, she said, “Only plants over three years of age begin to be collected from April to September. We choose the older leaves that have wilted yellow expression and always leave 4 leaves on each plant”. Even about handling vermin, at this time she would rather pay high salary to workers so they laboriously check leaf by leaf. If detecting worms at any leaves, they cut them and put them into a plastic bag. After that, they bring them out of the plantation, and then, kill them with lime without “touching”.

Crinum latifolium L. root, stem, and flower can be used but now Dr. Tram only uses its leaf. Apart from being used as dried materials for producing medicinal tea and Crila, she hasn’t dared to use fresh leaves for other purposes because she hasn’t researched yet. On our visit to her processing area, we saw each group of workers sitting in rows, laboriously washing each leaf like washing fresh vegetables. Large leaves were strung into long chains with plastic string, and then dried under the sun. Small leaves were arranged on a bamboo frame. Manager – Manh complained, “We face a lot of difficulties in rainy season. We have to look at the sky, if it rains we must immediately put the leaves away or they are all rotten.” Manh carefully examined, until the leaves are dry and radiate a light fragrance, workers start putting them into plastic bags to desiccate, pulverize and then putting into tanks to extract essences.