NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the
Advice on Publications Available.The following notes have been extracted, with the authors' permission from a series of Agnotes, most of which were developed by Ian Knox, of the Oz Rural Web site (http://www.ozrural.com), for the database of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, which can also be accessed through the NRE Web site (http://www.nre.vic.gov.au).
Product
There is much interest in growing medicinal herb products, worldwide. Developing countries such as China, India, Thailand, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya and the Philippines grow a variety of medicinal herbs. Eastern Europe produces large quantities, mainly for their own consumption. Other western European countries, Mediterranean countries and the USA also cultivate medicinal herbs, but they are net importers of these products.
Medicinal herb products may include foliage, flowers, seeds, fruit and/or roots, in fresh condition or in some kind of extracted form. Over 20,000 different plant species are used for medicinal purposes but perhaps 100 medicinal herbs comprise most of the industry. Many medicinal plants are still gathered from their wild state, for domestic use and export.
The medicinal herb market is very competitive and could easily be over-supplied if large areas of production were established for a single species.
Herbs cultivated for the medicinal market include:
Anise
Artemisia
Aconites
Aloes
Belladonna
Basi
Buchu
Cinchona
Dioscorea
Datura
Dill
Duboisia
Echinacea
Ergot
Ephedra
Foxglove
Ginseng
Gentians
Henbane
Hydrastis
Ipecac
Liquorice
Lemon grass
Mints
Male fern
Opium Poppy
Periwinkle
Pyrethrum
Psyllium
Papain
Polygala
Podophyllum
Rauvolfia
Sweet Flag
Smilax
Senna
Strophanthus
Squill
Thyme
Vinca
Valerian, and
Withania.
The medicinal herb species which are cross pollinated require vegetative propagation if their uniformity is to be maintained. Propagation of a cross pollinated species by seed will usually generate much undesirable variability amongst the resulting crop.
Production requirements are described in the Agriculture Note available through http://www.ozrural.com or http://www.nre.vic.gov.au.
Marketing
Medicinal herb growers need to monitor the market closely, only producing product in response to the market demand.
For further information, contact:
Mediherb Pty Ltd
PO Box 713
124 McEvoy Street
Warwick Queensland 4370
Telephone: 07 4661 0700
Facsimile: 07 4661 0788
Email: peter@mediherb.com.au
Web site: http://www.mediherb.com.au
Organic Herb Growers of Australia Inc
PO Box 6171
Suite 1, 68 Magellan Street
South Lismore NSW 2480
Telephone: 02 6622 0100
Facsimile: 02 6622 0900
Email: herbs@om.com.au
Organic certification system and bi-monthly magazine
Herb Farms Australia
PO Box 6099
South Lismore NSW 2480
26 Smith Street
Clunes NSW 2480
Telephone: 02 6628 6363
Facsimile: 02 6628 6330
Email: herbs@om.com.au
Buyers and distributors
Michael Brouwer and Natalie Greenwood
Southern Light Herbs
PO Box 227
8 Sandy Creek Road
Maldon Victoria 3463
Telephone: 03 5475 2763
Facsimile: 03 5475 1477
Purchasers and suppliers of organically grown herbs
Howard Jarvis
The Pharmaceutical Plant Company Pty Ltd
24 London Drive
Bayswater Victoria 3153
Telephone: 03 9762 3777
Facsimile: 03 9762 9992
Robert and Eileen Down
Australian Herbal Connection Network
RMB 1135C
Via Wodonga Victoria 3691
Telephone: 02 6028 9410
Facsimile: 02 6028 9018
Email: herbs.ahcn@bigpond.com
Web site: http://www.users.bigpond.com/herbs.ahcn
Marli Draper
Northern Metropolitan College of TAFE
Horticulture and Rural Studies
Epping Victoria 3052
Telephone: 03 9242 8825
Shirley Fraser or Laurie O'Donnell
New England Natural Products Pty Ltd
Gostwyck Road
Uralla NSW 2358
Telephone: 02 6772 0033
Facsimile: 02 6772 0033
Kim Fletcher
Focus on Herbs Consultancy and Information Service
PO Box 203
Launceston Tasmania 7250
Telephone: 03 6330 1493
Facsimile: 03 6330 1498
Email: admin@focusonherbs.com.au
Web site: www.focusonherbs.com.au
Blackmores Ltd
23 Roseberry Street
Balgowlah NSW 2093
Telephone: 02 9951 0111
Facsimile: 02 9949 1954
Greenridge Botanicals
PO Box 1197
17 Freighter avenue
Toowoomba Queensland 4350
Telephone: 07 4633 1202
Facsimile: 07 4633 1806
Nature's Sunshine Products of Australia Pty Ltd
PO Box 6884
19 Brookhollow Avenue
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Telephone: 02 9894 0111
Facsimile: 02 9894 2422
Web site: http://www.nspaust.com.au
Farm Diversification Information Service
Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Bendigo, Victoria 3550
Telephone: 1800 150 515 or 03 5430 4444
References
Hyde, KW (Ed)
New Rural Industries - A Handbook for Farmers and Investors
Available from the Rural Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)
Kingston, ACT 2600
Telephone: 02 6272 4539
Facsimile: 02 6272 5877
Email: rirdc@netinfo.com.au
Web site: http://www.rirdc.gov.au
Price: AUD40+8 (postage); AUD40+14 (postage overseas)
The chapter on medicinal herbs by Peter Purbrick is available from:
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/handbook/medherbs.html
Herbal Harvest
Commercial Organic Production of Quality Dried Herbs
Second edition
Bloomings Books
The Stables
21 Isabella Grove
Hawthorn Victoria 3122
Telephone: 03 9819 6363
Facsimile: 03 9818 1862
Price: AUD79.95
Australian Herb Industry Resource Guide
Compiled by Kim and Michael Fletcher
Focus on Herbs Consultancy and Information Service
PO Box 203
Launceston Tasmania 7250
Telephone: 03 6330 1493
Facsimile: 03 6330 1498
Email: admin@focusonherbs.com.au
Web site: www.focusonherbs.com.au
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
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GK; latest update 17 October 2001 by: RF