The Economic Potential of Medicinal Plant Production with Particular Reference to Quebec

Plants are the source of a large proportion of medicines. It has recently been estimated that there are about 400,000 species of higher or vascular plants (Govaerts 2001, Thorne 2002). While not all of these are equally useful, studies suggest that somewhere between a quarter and a third of all species have been used for medicinal purposes by indigenous societies.

Deans and Svoboda (1990) suggested that there are over 20,000 medicinal plants; Torkelson (1995) lists over 4,000 scientific names and more than 28,000 common names of medicinal plants; and Duke (2002) provides detailed information on over 800 of the most important medicinal plant species. Despite these large numbers, relatively few species are cultivated commercially on a large scale, as is the case, for example, with ginseng, echinacea, and ginkgo.

For medicinal plants, becoming commercially significant is not easy. The odds are about a thousand to one. A species needs to be very special in order to join the relatively elite club of important commercial plants. Fortunately, with common sense and enough background information, the odds of profitably growing medicinal plants that have not previously been raised in a given region are considerably higher than a thousand to one.

While this discussion focuses on the economic wisdom of expanding production of a specific class of crop (medicinal crops) in a specific province of Canada, it is very important to remember that this is an example of a general problem. The phrases "alternative crops," "replacement crops," "substitute crops" and "new crops" all relate to attempts to improve the profitability of farming by growing crops that have not been grown, at least recently, in a give locality. Most such crops are "minor," "specialty," "niche,""non-traditional," or "under exploited," at least initially in the region in question.

There have been many analyses of the exercise of new crop introduction (see Small 1999). It is disappointing to learn that no one has yet found a reliable means of choosing new crops that will be successful. Nevertheless, by examining some aspects of new crop introduction, it is at least possible to make more informed choices and to avoid some problems.

Except in cases of monopoly, new offerings in the marketplace strongly tend to follow a characteristic life cycle of profitability, and it is extremely important that those investing in any new crop understand this.

More at: 

http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/science-publications-and-resources/resources/canadian-medicinal-crops/the-business-of-medicinal-plants/the-economic-potential-of-medicinal-plant-production-with-particular-reference-to-quebec/?id=1302131510016

Review of the Status, Harvest, Trade and Management of Seven Asian CITES-listed Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Species

Wild plant species form the foundation of healthcare practices throughout much of Asia. This is particularly
true in the case of traditional medicine practices, including codified systems such as traditional Chinese
medicine, Ayurveyda, Siddha, Unani and Tibetan medicines, and more localised healthcare traditions.
Asia’s wild plants also form a critical component of ‘modern’ healthcare practices. Compounds such as
reserpine from Snakeroot Rauvolfia serpentina and paclitaxel from Himalayan Yew Taxus wallichiana
have important pharmaceutical uses in Europe, North America and more widely. Some medicinal species
are also in demand for their aromatic properties, the use of the oil of Jatamansi Nardostachys grandiflora,
for example, appearing in written texts dating back over a thousand years. Still others, including Red
Sanders Pterocarpus santalinus, are also valued for their timber.
Wild plant species also form an important component of livelihood strategies in Asia, with wild collection of
medicinal and aromatic plants providing a critical source of income in many areas. This is particularly true
in areas such as the high alpine regions of the Himalayas, where agricultural outputs are low and there
are few other opportunities for income generation.
The combined and in many cases increasing demand for Asia’s medicinal plants and the consequent increase
in the rate of collection are having a negative impact on the wild populations of many species, to
the point that some species are now considered to be threatened with extinction. National governments
throughout the region have responded by establishing various systems of collection and trade controls to
bring wild collection within sustainable levels. Governments, non-governmental organizations and in some
cases the private sector have also begun investing in cultivation of certain species to meet demand. In
order to help ensure that international trade was both sustainable and in accordance with national legislation,
member countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES) have also established international trade controls for some Asian medicinal species.
Earlier reviews of the status, wild collection and trade of a number of CITES-listed medicinal plant species, including
those mentioned above, found that implementation of collection and trade controls was generally low,
and in some cases nearly non-existent. Not surprisingly, there were also indications of continuing declines in
wild populations despite these regulatory efforts. In order to support efforts to improve the management and
conservation of medicinal plant species in trade, in 2004, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
(Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN) contracted TRAFFIC to undertake a study of the status, use, trade and trade
controls for seven Asian species. Four of the seven, Elephant’s Foot Dioscorea deltoidea, Pterocarpus santalinus,
Rauvolfia serpentina and Taxus wallichiana, had already been reviewed by BfN as a contribution to the
CITES Significant Trade Review process (SCHIPPMANN 2001). A further two, the Himalayan species Nardostachys
grandiflora and Kutki Picrorhiza kurrooa, were previously reviewed by TRAFFIC under contract to
the CITES Secretariat, also as part of the CITES Significant Trade Review Process (MULLIKEN 2000). That
study also reviewed the trade in Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora, closely related and similar to Picrorhiza kurrooa
and also referred to and traded as Kutki. The seventh, Desert Cistanche Cistanche deserticola, was listed
in CITES Appendix II in 2000 and has not been the subject of a previous review.

More at:

http://www.bfn.de/fileadmin/MDB/documents/service/skript227.pdf

Production of Aromatic Plants in Asia - An Overview*

Production of Aromatic Plants in Asia - An Overview*
Narong Chomchalow
Office of the President, Assumption University
Bangkok, Thailand
Abstract
Aromatic plants are plants that possess aromatic compounds, most of which are
essential oils which are volatile in room temperature. They have traditionally been used
as raw materials for extraction of essential oils (which, in turn, are used in the flavor
and fragrance industries), as well as the sources of spices, herbs, and other natural
products such as traditional medicines, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, botanical pesticides,
insect repellents, herbal teas/drinks, etc.
Asia is well known throughout the world as ‘the Land of Aromatic Plants’ because
it possesses favorable climatic conditions suitable for the growth and development of
aromatic plants. Other names like ‘the Land of Spices’, ‘the Land of Traditional
Perfumes’, also indicate the popularity of aromatic plants in Asia. Such plants have been
used commercially as spices and as sources of raw material for essential-oil industry
from the dawn of history.
Aromatic plants were originally collected from the wild. Due to overexploitation,
many species have become extinct or scarce so that they have to be cultivated. The
present paper provides information on the list of species of aromatic plants, either
collected from the wild, or those cultivated in countries in Asia. It also discusses the
cultivation of major aromatic plants, and the advantages of cultivation, the genetic
improvement and the cultural improvement of aromatic plants.

More at: http://www.journal.au.edu/au_techno/2002/jul2002/article8.pdf