Lecture: "Sustainability and certification in the production of medicinal plants".

Medicinal plants are in high demand worldwide: after all, 80 percent of the world's population uses plants as the basis for tea drugs, phytopharmaceuticals or as isolated pure substances. Many of the medicines we can buy in pharmacies contain herbal raw materials, but where do they come from and what is the path from the plant to the package? Important medicinal plants such as peppermint, chamomile, lemon balm or artichoke have been cultivated in fields for decades to meet the high demand. In terms of the number of species, however, about two-thirds of the medicinal drugs on the market come from collections in the natural habitat, and only one-third of the product comes from cultivation. Increasing exploitation of wild stocks is a growing problem, as is compliance with quality standards. European companies often source the medicinal plants for their phytotherapeutic products from Eastern European countries such as Romania or Bulgaria. There, there are still wild reserves of medicinal plant stocks and, above all, cheap labor. What does this mean for consumers? How can we tell where the drugs come from, under what conditions they were collected or produced, and whether the herbal remedies on offer are of good quality?
Birgitt Boor reports from her almost 25 years of experience as a consultant in the context of organic agriculture. She has worked in 40 countries around the world, mainly with smallholder farmers, and is well versed in sustainable value chains, market analysis, trade standards, quality management and certification programs.

The event is part of the accompanying program "The Green Pharmacy - from Hortus Medicus to Pharmaceutical Research" by the Association of Botanical Gardens e.V.  From 6 pm there will be an opportunity to visit the exhibition.

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Marina Hethke (Dipl.Ing.agr./MA Environment & Education) Curator
University of Kassel, Greenhouse for Tropical Crops
Steinstraße 19
37213 Witzenhausen
Tel. 05542 - 981231  Fax: 05542 - 981230

homepages:
Tropical greenhouse: www.tropengewaechshaus.de
WorldGarden:         www.weltgarten-witzenhausen.de