The Future of Natural Herbal Medicine
or
Herbal Medicine Boom Endangering Plant Species!
by
Albert J. Hoagland, Jr., RN, PhD, ND
The number of patients seeking alternative and herbal medicine is growing exponentially.
I define traditional medicine as comprising therapeutic practices that have been in
existence for hundred of years before the development and spread of so-called modern
medicine. Traditional medicine is the synthesis of therapeutic experience of generations
of practicing physicians of indigenous systems of medicine. Traditional preparations
comprise medicinal plants, minerals and organic matter, Herbal drugs constitute only
those traditional medicines which primarily use medicinal plant preparations for therapy
The earliest recorded evidence of their use in Chinese, Indian, Greek, Egyptian, Roman
& Syrian texts dates back to about 5000 years.
Although superficially similar herbal medicines and conventional pharmacotherapy have
three important differences. Herbalists generally use unpurified plant extracts containing
several different constituents. The thinking is that by using the whole plant toxicity is
reduced. Herb combining is the second difference and the claim here is that combining
herbs improves efficacy and reduces adverse effect. The use of diagnosis is the third
difference. An example would be that a traditional herbalist might observe and decide
that a diuretic herb might be prescribed along with an anti-inflammatory herb.
Herbal remedies form a potpourri that ranges from plants that folks collect themselves
and use for themselves to approved modern products. Unlicensed preparations are
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thought to account for over 80 percent of herbal sales today.
The multimillion-pound boom in herbal medicine is threatening to wipe out up to a fifth
of the plant species on which it depends, wrecking their natural habitats and jeopardizing
the health of millions of people in developing countries. The herbal medicine industry
has been accused of doing nothing about the problem!
Most people around the globe use herbal medicine for everyday healthcare, with as many
as 80% relying on it in some countries, Two-thirds of the 50,000 medicinal plants in use
are still harvested from the wild. It is estimated that between 4000 and 10,000 of them
may now be endangered!
The market for herbal remedies in North America and Europe has been expanding
by about 10 per cent a year for the last decade and the world market is now
thought to be worth in the multi-billions. The demand and commercialization of herbal
remedies is growing so fast and the future of the wild plants which has helped most of
humanity for centuries is now more uncertain than it has ever been.
Alan Hamilton, a plant specialist from the global environmental network of WWF has
helped compile a report, Herbal Harvests with a Future. This report was just published
by a conservation group: Plantlife International-The Wild Plant Conservation Charity in
Salisbury, UK.. The balance of this paper will summarize Hamilton’s report.
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In a nutshell, the report stated the importance of the herbal medicine industry is
growing. More than eighty percent of the world’s population depends on herbal
medicine for their primary inclusive of 25 percent of the UK. Most material used in
herbal medicine and vitamin supplements is taken from wild plants and the rapidly
growing demand for medicinal plants compounded by habitat loss is putting pressure on
many species. The recommendations presented were aimed at achieving greater
sustainability throughout the industry. Certification schemes with appropriate chain of
custody mechanisms along with a code of practices for the industry were at the heart of
the report.
One species highlighted by Plantlife as being under threat is tetu lakha (Nothapodytes
foetida), a small tree found in rainforests in south India and Sri Lanka and used for anti-
cancer drugs in Europe. Others include a saw-wort known as costus or kusta (saussurea
lappa) from India whose root is used for chronic skin disorders, and the tendrilled
fritillary (Fritillaria cirrhosa) from Sichuan, China, used to treat respiratory infections
.
Although the crisis has been looming for years, Plantlife accuses the herbal medicine
industry of failing to ensure the sustainability of its supplies. It has established that 11 of
16 herbal companies in the UK, for instance, harvest all the plants they sell from the
wild, and the remaining five grow only a small proportion.
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A leading UK natural skin care company, The Body Shop International, accepts that it
does not grow its own medicinal plants, but insists that it is environmentally aware
.“The protection of flora and fauna is an integral part of The Body Shop approach to
products. We do not source materials derived from endangered and threatened species,
says a company spokesman.
Plantlife-International states that awareness of the environmental problems among
companies in general are sometimes vague. “Given the scale of the threat, this is
alarming.” A leading international expert on medicinal plants, Gerard Bodeker from
Green C says the assessments of the crisis by Plantlife-International are conservative and
That most of the products supplying the growing herbal remedies market are unsustain-
able and are driven by poverty.” The industry is characterized by changing health fads
and the Industry is not replenishing what they take.
The market for African cherry (Prunus Africana), the bark of which is popular in Europe
has collapsed because too many trees have been destroyed. In the past Africa’s mountain
regions, survived because traditionally less that half of their bark was used. But accord-
ing to a recent study by Consultant Kristine Stewart, “Commercial pressures have led to
whole forests being stripped or felled.
From Plantlife’s report it seems that another aspect of the problem is the Herb Industry
being unaware or un-interested in cultivation and a lack of education amongst their
consumers in terms of being environmentally aware…seeing the Big Picture!
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At this point, let me catch my breath. Worldwide conspicuous consumption is affecting
my newest profession. The Chinese expression is “PU HUA!” It means “NO GOOD!”
In checking out this topic, I learned why there are no anchovies in the Los Angeles
Harbor City of San Pedro, Ca where I live. It is because according to the local lore the
Japanese fishermen vacuumed the ocean floor and sucked them all up. I also learned that
where I was born and raised in South Jersey (New Jersey) what was so wonderful to
play in –the Pine Barrens—are being destroyed. DAMM!
The future of Natural Herbal Medicine cannot be measured by the number of patients that
take herbs or herbal formulas or by the number of students enrolling in Schools of
Acupuncture or even in those Registered Nurses who earn the title: Master Herbalist.
.The future depends upon those of us who can write to herb companies / manufacturers or
heads of states, or send a check to Plantlife-International or open a window and
yell, “I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore!!”
I am in the process of writing letters and can make copies available to anyone wanting to
follow my example. No one alone can make an industry change and no one report can
help unless thousands read that report. I have attached Plantlife-International’s address.
at the end of this paper.
The future of Natural Herbal Medicine might well reside in “our” hands.
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