Farmers hope to cash in on $130b global market for traditional Chinese medicine with long-term study
Traditional Chinese medicine has been practised for thousands of years and, as the sector has grown into a $130 billion global industry, Australia could be well-placed to cash in.
Rising demand and strain on the supply of medicinal herbs has created an “exciting opportunity” for farmers, according to Professor Dugald Close from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.
“These traditional herbs have been used for centuries but, of course, we’ve got major increases in population, particularly in South-East Asia,” he said.
“Land is an issue. Traditionally a lot of these herbs were wild harvested. It’s not sustainable to do that anymore and so we’re cultivating the products.”
Professor Close is leading a decade-long research project to establish whether medicinal crops such as ginseng, Chinese bellflower and shiso can be grown in Tasmania.
“New crops always get farmers really excited,” he said.
He was “very excited and hopeful” the project could kickstart another Tasmanian agricultural success story, such as the premium poppy and pyrethrum industries that have emerged in recent decades.
But first, he and his team have to prove that local crops are just as good as those sourced in Asia.
Growing a new industry
At the Forthside Research Farm in Tasmania’s fertile north-west, eight traditional Chinese medicine crops are being sown and studied.
It can be a tedious process. To plant red sage, they first had to soak the seeds for two hours in 50-degree-Celsius water to help them germinate.
And even then it did not always happen, farm manager Doug Clark said.
“We don’t know a lot about these species. Some of the germination rates are as low as 30 per cent,” he said.
“There are certain actives in the roots the researchers are trying to identify, but for us it’s a matter of trying to grow the plant.”
Professor Dugald Close and PhD student Hui Law sit at a lab bench looking over a gnarly brown root.
At several stages in the growth cycle, the roots are harvested and taken to the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s laboratory in Hobart for testing.
The shape, smell and chemical composition are all key determinants of quality.
But Tasmania also has several factors in its favour.
The cool conditions, long summer days and the big difference in day and night-time temperatures are all believed to be responsible for the high bioactive qualities found in other specialty crops grown in Tasmania, such as those used to produce essential oils.
And the state’s reputation for high-quality produce in South-East Asia could make it easy to start exporting.
“If it all pays off and if we can actually prove we can grow a specific product well, then it’s available and passed on to growers,” Mr Clark said.
Just what the doctor ordered
Long rows of bright yellow containers stacked on a shelf in Maria Zong’s office.
While the researchers are focused on international exports, there are plenty of potential customers closer to home with 4,901 practitioners registered with the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia.
Maria Zong has been dispensing traditional Chinese medicine to patients in Hobart for three decades.
She sources her remedies from a company that imports them from China but that was not always easy.
“Sometimes I order a herb and they say, ‘Oh we don’t have it, we’re still waiting for the shipment’,” she said.
“At the moment, I’ve maybe got four or five different herbs I’m waiting for. Sometimes I need to wait for a month before they come.”
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Ms Zong was “very excited” about the prospect of local producers.
“If they grow the herbs here, I presume it would be high quality,” she said.
“And if we do it locally, it’s better for the environment.”
Hurdles on the horizon
Two scientists examine young seedlings in a bright, large greenhouse.
Dr Alieta Eyles and PhD student Hui Law inspect medicinal crop seedlings growing at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s facilities at Sandy Bay.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
While there is a market for traditional Chinese medicine and indications Tasmania can grow then, one big question is whether local production will be financially viable.
These crops are traditionally harvested by hand and profit margins could be tight given Australia’s high labour costs compared to South-East Asia.
Professor Close said they needed to investigate how these crops could fit within Australia’s highly industrialised agricultural system.
“And ideally, how they work within rotations of our other major economic crops of interest in Tasmania,” he said.
Scientist Hui Law in a laboratory using a knife to cut up a gnarly, brown root.
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture PhD student Hui Law examining the roots of trial crops to ascertain their bioactive qualities.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
Current trade tensions with China could also be a concern, given that is ultimately the biggest market for these productions.
But the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture remains focused on “long-term gains” and opportunities.
“There’s a global marketplace for them so we’re not yet focused on any particular market,” Professor Close said.
“We’ll just see how things roll out over the next few seasons.”
Original article by admin, if reproduced, please cite the source as: https://www.tcmha.com/tcmnews/farmers-hope-to-cash-in-on-130b-global-market-for-traditional-chinese-medicine-with-long-term-study.html
相关推荐
-
Top scientist suggests plan on traditional Chinese medicine development to avoid external blockade at two sessions
Citing a lesson from the Iraq war in which the full embargo launched by the US seriously hurt ordinary people’s lives in Iraq, a deputy to the National People’s Congress suggests China formulate a scientific plan on its traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) development and encourage other disciplines, such as biological information technologies, artificial technologies, chemical and material sciences, to better integrate with TCM development to prevent a scenario where the country’s medical field would be “chocked from the neck” one day. “When the US launched a war against Iraq and…
-
Make Acupuncture Great Again
Calling a losing study a win. Making acupuncture great again.
-
US embraces traditional Chinese medicine
TCM includes acupuncture, cupping, pain moxibustion (a form of heat therapy), herbal medicine, nutrition, tuina massage (used with modern medical techniques to treat a range of conditions), and exercise such as tai chi and qigong, which combine movement and meditation.
-
Singapore’s traditional Chinese medicine clinics see rise in patients with serious pandemic side effects
Unlike Hong Kong, Singapore does not use TCM to treat Covid-19. But people are nevertheless seeking out practitioners to help manage their well-being.Issues include domestic abuse, anxiety, posture problems and even erectile dysfunction, which one practitioner attributes to more sex – and cycling
-
Demand soars for Chinese medicine to treat COVID-19 despite Australian ban
It’s the Chinese medicine often compared to paracetamol. Lianhua Qingwen has long been used in mainland China to treat common colds and flu-like symptoms. The traditional Chinese medicine is also given to children, albeit in smaller doses. Since the start of the pandemic, Chinese authorities and scientists have been saying it is even effective at easing symptoms of Covid-19. It’s prompted some members of Australia’s Chinese community to stock-up on the medication available in China over-the-counter and with a prescription. “Lianhua Qingwen is very effective for symptoms such as the…
-
Interview: Behind Olympic golds, traditional Chinese medicine plays a role
As Gu Ailing won a historical gold in the women’s Freeski Big Air at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, a doctor of the Chinese team revealed the role that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) plays in treating China’s Olympians. Zhu Jiangwei, a physician at the Sichuan Province Orthopedic Hospital, worked for China’s national freeski big air and snowboard slopestyle team between October 2021 and January this year. Along with the team, Zhu traveled to Austria, Switzerland, the United States and other countries, providing medical care to members of the team,…
-
Traditional Chinese Medicine can’t stop you getting Covid-19, says renowned expert Zhong Nanshan
Zhong has long been an advocate for TCM but he told a conference that currently no drug has been proven to prevent people becoming infected by the virus.His comments follow a controversy after a leading online health platform was suspended soon after questioning the benefits of traditional treatments.
-
Confusion and falsehoods spread as China reverses its ‘zero-COVID’ policy
After nearly three years of strict “zero-COVID” policies, in recent days Chinese officials have rolled back most of them following rare protests across the country. Mass testing and mass quarantining are now things of the past.
-
Chinese support needed in Cambodia to boost Traditional Chinese Medicine
Chinese participants highlighted the importance of quality control in traditional medicine, which spans from the procurement of raw materials to the delivery of the final products.
-
TCM provides new alternatives for the fight against COVID-19
A news report by haiwainet.cn: During the 18th World Congress of Traditional Chinese Medicine held on 4 December 2021, experts from Spain, France, Australia and other countries and regions highly recognized the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in fighting against COVID-19. Dr. Chen Zhen, President of the Central and Eastern European Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, said that the Hungarian Qihuang TCM Center provides online consultation services for nearly a million local people in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe, and has received more than 5,680 COVID-19 patients. German virologist Jindrich Cinatl said in an interview with The Globe and…
Comments(1)
What i do not understood is actually how you are not actually much more well-liked than you might be right now. You are so intelligent. You realize therefore significantly relating to this subject, produced me personally consider it from a lot of varied angles. Its like men and women aren’t fascinated unless it抯 one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs outstanding. Always maintain it up!