[india-drug] WHO issues new guidelines for ginseng, other medicinal plants

[Sunitha Srinivas <s.srinivas@ru.ac.za>]

(Source:

http://www.phronline.net/article/detnews.asp?articleid=14488&sectionid=1
Thanks?.SS)

WHO issues new guidelines for ginseng, other medicinal plants
---------------------------------------------------------------

 Bureau, Mumbai

The World Health Organization (WHO) today releases guidelines for good
agricultural and collection practices for medicinal plants - an
industry estimated worth more than US$ 60 billion. The guidelines are
intended for national governments to ensure production of herbal
medicines is of good quality, safe, sustainable and poses no threat to
either people or the environment.

Herbal medicines could be the natural answer to some ailments and can
often be readily available. For these reasons, they are growing in
popularity in wealthy countries and their use remains widespread in
developing regions. 

However, reports of patients experiencing negative health consequences
caused by the use of herbal medicines are on the rise. One of the major
causes of adverse events is directly linked to the poor quality of
herbal medicines, including raw medicinal plant materials, and to the
wrong identification of plant species. Cultivating, collecting and
classifying plants correctly are therefore of the utmost importance for
the quality and safety of products. 

In addition to patient safety issues, there is the risk that a growing
herbal market and its great commercial benefit might pose a threat to
biodiversity through over-harvesting of the raw materials for herbal
medicines and other natural health care products. If not controlled,
these practices may lead to the extinction of endangered species and
the destruction of natural habitats and resources. 
The WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP)
for medicinal plants are an important initial step to ensure good
quality, safe herbal medicines and ecologically sound cultivation
practices for future generations. In an easy-to-understand style they
cover the spectrum of cultivation and collection activities, including
site selection, climate and soil considerations and identification of
seeds and plants. Guidance is also given on the main post-harvest
operations and includes legal components such as national and regional
laws on quality standards, patent status and benefits sharing.

Background Facts
The safety and quality of raw medicinal plant materials and finished
products depend on intrinsic (genetic) or external (environment,
collection methods, cultivation, harvest, post-harvest processing,
transport and storage practices) factors. Inadvertent contamination by
microbial or chemical agents during any of the production stages can
also lead to deterioration in safety and quality. Medicinal plants
collected in the wild may be contaminated by other species or plant
parts through misidentification, accidental contamination or
intentional adulteration, all of which may have unsafe consequences. 

Adverse reactions due to substitution of incorrect plant: 
Digitalis: Cases of serious cardiac arrhythmias were reported in the
USA in 1997 following the accidental substitution of plantain, to be
used as a dietary supplement, with Digitalis lanata, generally used for
heart conditions. Subsequent investigations were reported to reveal
that large quantities of the misidentified plantain had been shipped to
more than 150 manufacturers, distributors and retailers over a two-year
period.

Podophyllum: Fourteen cases of Podophyllum poisoning have been reported
from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China following the
inadvertent use of the roots Podophyllum hexandrum instead of the
Gentiana and Clematis species for their antiviral qualities. It is
reported that this accidental substitution arose because of the
apparent similarity in the morphology of the roots.

Aconitum: Cases of cardiotoxicity resulting from the ingestion of
Aconitum species used in complementary medicine for acute infections
and panic attacks have been reported from Hong Kong, China. Aconitum
rootstocks are processed by soaking or boiling them in water in order
to hydrolyse the aconite alkaloids into their less toxic, aconine
derivatives. Toxicity can, however, result when such processes are
mismanaged. In the United Kingdom, the internal use of aconite is
restricted to prescription only.

Endangered medicinal plants 
The wild types of the popular medicinal plant ginseng (Panax ginseng),
used to address digestive conditions resulting from nervous disorders,
is currently reported to be rapidly declining due to increasing demand
and collection. 
Wild American ginseng, goldenseal, echinacea, black cohosh, slippery
elm and kava kava top the "at-risk list" of endangered species of
medicinal plants. 
Cultivation has replaced wild collection for the supply of some
essential drugs used in modern medicine. The Madagascar rosy
periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, is widely cultivated in Spain and the
United States for its properties which are considered useful in
treating childhood leukaemia and Hodgkin's disease. 

A traditional medicine for which demand is greater than the potential
for supply is the African tree Pygeum (Prunus africana). The bark is a
very popular natural remedy for prostate disorders in some European
countries such as Spain - but it is harvested from wild trees growing
in the mountain forests of continental Africa and in Madagascar and is
unsustainable under current practices. While the bark can be harvested
sustainably, harvesters either cut too much, which results in the death
of the trees, or they fell whole trees. The International Centre for
Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) and others are working to establish
sustainable sources of Prunus africana through conservation of wild
tree populations and assistance to smallholders to grow the tree -
something that will also help increase farmers' incomes. ICRAF is also
working on a breeding programme to select varieties which will take
less time to reach harvestable age.

Devil's Claw, Harpagophytum procumbens, is another popular remedy that
is unsustainably harvested and may become extinct in the wild under
current practices. It has been used as a tonic, as a treatment for
arthritis and rheumatism, to reduce fever, ease sore muscles, reduce
cholesterol, and externally the ointment is used to treat sores, boils,
and ulcers. It is also used to cleanse the lymph system, and to remove
toxins from the blood.

Devil's Claw is produced in southern Africa, and Namibia is the biggest
exporter in the region. Just under 200 tonnes were exported from
Namibia between January and August 2000. Between 10 000 and 15 000
harvesters rely on sales from its collection as their only source of
cash. However, current prices are not a true reflection of the real
value of their work: indeed, over the last 24 years the price has
dropped by as much as 85%. In 1998, a sustainably harvested Devil's
Claw project was set up on one resettlement farm in Namibia and has
rapidly expanded. The following year, 10 210 kg of certified organic
Devil's Claw was produced, providing local people with a sustainable
product at a guaranteed and fair price. This could be the way forward,
provided that users of Devil's Claw demand that suppliers stock only
certified products.


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