Value chains of herbal medicines: Cases studies on Jiang huang (Curcuma longa and Hong jingtian (Rhodiola Spp)

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Value chains of herbal medicines: Cases studies on Jiang huang (Curcuma longa and Hong jingtian (Rhodiola Spp)"

Jessica Fletcher
5 years ago
Views:

1 Value chains of herbal medicines: Cases studies on Jiang huang (Curcuma longa and Hong jingtian (Rhodiola Spp) Complexities of natural products and the pitfalls when used in clinical trials Tony Booker UCL School of Pharmacy, Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy Brunswick Square, London, UK Department of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish St, London W1W 6UW, UK

2 Outline: Typical methodology for intervention studies Sourcing herbal medicines - Vertical Integration versus free market approaches: Curcuma longa Rhodiola rosea Implications and conclusions

3 Common Framework for intervention studies 1. Identify condition of interest e.g. Back pain, arthritis etc 2. Select a single phytochemical compound, herb or herbal formula based on traditional knowledge and/or previous biomedical research. 3. Devise trial methodology 4. Publish results

4 Methodology: In human intervention studies there is much attention paid to the clinical treatment and the interpretation of results, including sample selection, inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, analysis of data, statistical methods etc But often through not having a detailed knowledge of the value chain of a particular product, researchers fail to satisfactorily classify and document their medicinal plant material or herbal medicinal product This can make any results obtained and any subsequent conclusions (positive or negative) - meaningless

5 Sourcing herbal medicines - Vertical Integration versus free market approaches

6 Curcuma longa, Jiang huang

7 Free market: Erode, Tamil Nadu Fieldwork in India The main crops are sugar cane and turmeric. The farm does not produce turmeric under contract but sells it at auction as is typical for the region.

8 After harvesting, the turmeric is heated using a hired steam boiler.. The high temperature heating helps to preserve the root crop and aids in the drying process. After drying the rhizomes are polished to improve the colour and texture. The polishing process also requires hired machinery. Colouring adulterants may be added at this time.

The UCL price SCHOOL of OF turmeric PHARMACY

In 2011 it sold at auction for US$355 per

At the start of 2012 the average auction price

At US$80 and below many farmers choose to

It is stored for up to 5 years (or longer).

9 The UCL price SCHOOL of OF turmeric PHARMACY is subject to market forces. In 2011 it sold at auction for US$355 per quintal (100kg). At the start of 2012 the average auction price was only US$80 per quintal. At US$80 and below many farmers choose to store the crop until prices rise. It is stored for up to 5 years (or longer). The product is heavily treated with insecticides and fungicides but there was still evidence of weevil infestation and mould development.

10 Integrated chain: Shimoga, Karnataka Fieldwork in India

11 The farmer receives a 10 40% premium for spices and medicinal plants above the market price depending on the complexity of cultivation, the GAP processes that are employed and the current market price. The product is exported to the UK for further manufacture. How is quality and ultimately efficacy affected?

Which product to choose? 54 commercial turmeric samples were collected from sites in Europe, USA and India. Booker, A., Frommenwiler, D., Johnston, D., Umealajekwu, C., Reich, E., Heinrich, M., 2014.

12 Which product to choose? 54 commercial turmeric samples were collected from sites in Europe, USA and India. Booker, A., Frommenwiler, D., Johnston, D., Umealajekwu, C., Reich, E., Heinrich, M., Chemical variability along the value chains of turmeric (Curcuma longa): A comparison of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography. Journal of Ethnopharmacology doi: /j.jep

13 [rel] UCL SCHOOL OF PHARMACY NMR Spectroscopy analysis of turmeric samples tb2-jul D:\u chinenye [ppm]

14 Scores plot showing samples grouped according to species, PC1 VS PC2

15 HPTLC Analysis of Turmeric samples Reference Curcumin Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5

Sample 3 47 12 13 14 24 28 32 36 38 39 40 41 42 46 19 More compounds were present in the freshest samples 38, 39 and 40.

16 Sample More compounds were present in the freshest samples 38, 39 and 40. These were fresh rhizomes that had not been boiled or dried. We observed that the integrated chain samples 47, 12 and 13 displayed a strong zone at Rf 0.25 which was also observed for the fresh samples.

17 So what compound(s) are present in turmeric (jiang huang) that have a therapeutic effect?

Indian Spice May Delay Liver Damage and Cirrhosis, Study Suggests Illustration by Jan Stringer, 2012 Curcumin, one of the principal components of the Indian spice turmeric, seems to

18 Indian Spice May Delay Liver Damage and Cirrhosis, Study Suggests Illustration by Jan Stringer, 2012 Curcumin, one of the principal components of the Indian spice turmeric, seems to delay the liver damage that eventually causes cirrhosis, suggests preliminary experimental research in the journal Gut.

Curcumin or curcuminoids? Ahmed, T., Gilani, A.H., 2013.

19 Curcumin or curcuminoids? Ahmed, T., Gilani, A.H., Therapeutic Potential of Turmeric in Alzheimer's Disease: Curcumin or Curcuminoids? Phytotherapy Research doi: /ptr.5030.

Or no curcuminoids? Tohda, C., Nakayama, N.

Curcuminoid-independent Pathway Mediated by

20 Or no curcuminoids? Tohda, C., Nakayama, N., Hatanaka, F., Komatsu, K., Comparison of Anti-inflammatory Activities of Six Curcuma Rhizomes: A Possible Curcuminoid-independent Pathway Mediated by Curcuma phaeocaulis Extract. Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3,

Tumerone Funk, J.L., Frye, J.B., Oyarzo, J.N., Zhang, H., Timmermann, B.N., 2010.

21 Tumerone Funk, J.L., Frye, J.B., Oyarzo, J.N., Zhang, H., Timmermann, B.N., Anti-arthritic effects and toxicity of the essential oils of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). J Agric Food Chem 58,

22 In summary, Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Jiang huang possesses several compounds that are known to have a therapeutic effect Different collecting, processing and storage strategies affect both the composition and concentration of these compounds

23 Rhodiol rosea hong jing tian

24 China The Sichuan Tibetan Border Rhodiola crenulata is typically sourced between 4,000 and 5,000 metres

25 It is collected by the Yi minority and represents about one third of their income

26 It is typically dried on the rooftop and sold at the main market in Chengdu

27 1 H-NMR spectra of the reference compounds, salidroside and rosavin, together with spectra of plant material. 1: R. fastigiata S42, 2: R. quadrifida S32, 3: R. crenulata S26, 4: R. sachalinensis S23, 5: R. rosea S2, 6: rosavin and 7: salidroside

28 Using NMR-PCA we were able to differentiate different Rhodiola species Only Rhodiola rosea (Mei gui hong jing tian) contains rosavins - The active ingredients most widely researched In TCM Rhodiola crenulata (Da hua hong jing tian) is mainly used..

29 In summary, many different Rhodiola species exist and wild collection can lead to Incorrect species entering the supply chain. Different Rhodiola species are likely to have very different clinical effects.

Implications and Conclusions UCL SCHOOL OF PHARMACY Medicinal plants and medicinal plant products are highly variable in phytochemical composition.

30 Implications and Conclusions UCL SCHOOL OF PHARMACY Medicinal plants and medicinal plant products are highly variable in phytochemical composition. Before embarking on an intervention study, plants or products must be well defined, ideally using an ethnobotanical and metabolomic strategies, i.e. where does the plant come from? What does it contain compared to other plants or products?

31 Acknowledgements UCL SCHOOL OF PHARMACY Fieldwork in India Professor Michael Heinrich LCIRAH and UCL School of Pharmacy Dr Deborah Johnston LCIRAH and SOAS Professor Liz Williamson University of Reading School of Pharmacy Dr Tommy Sopwith Pune University Mr CNM Shastry Hosagunda Site Ben Heron and Sebastian Pole Mr Danesh Hosagunda Site Professor Dhanabal and Family Erode Site LCIRAH Research Group Mr Chen and Lixiang Zhai UCL Research Group This research is funded through a charitable donation by Dr. Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co. KG, Germany and a research grant from The Leverhulme Trust

32 Fieldwork in India Thank You Contact:

Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy University College London, School of Pharmacy

Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy University College London, School of Pharmacy The Transformation of Traditional Asian Medical Knowledge into International Commodities the Link between Traditional Medicines and the International Market Anthony Booker Centre for Pharmacognosy and