Expert gives talk on the state of medicinal plants and sustainable practices

Caption: Chamomile seeds and other varieties provided by the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism. [Photo by Melissa Marin]

On a quiet Tuesday evening near downtown Lafayette, Colorado, a small but captivated audience gathered to hear a seminar on the importance of caring for our soil, plants, and medication development in a sustainable way. Sabrina Tran, a rising student at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, presented the lecture on May 3 to bring awareness to the topic.

Tran explained that interdependence is a key part in upkeeping herbal and pharmaceutical medicine cultivation. She explained that humans are essential to the process of land stewardship and in maintaining functional diversity for the future success of medicinal plants.

However, Tran added that “Healthy communities and biological systems depend on human restraint and responsibility in technologies, population, production, and consumption.”

She provided the example of the common agriculture practice of monoculture farming, in which one type of crop is grown on a specific field and at a specific time.

“Mono-farming is commonly used for standardized products. However, using this method shows little care for biodiversity, ecology, and soil health—all to maximize profit and satisfy the market,” Tran stated.

Herbal medicine has had a global industrial value of more than $60 billion during the early 2000s. Today, the industry stands to gain revenue valued at $129 Billion by 2023, with 25% of plants being cultivated for pharmaceutical drugs, as stated by Tran.

Humans have used plants to develop life-altering drugs for centuries. The implementation of traditional practices and herbal medicines for primary care and therapy continues to be seen throughout Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and much of the United States.

A National Library of Medicine analysis points out that China used traditional herbal medicines in 2003 to play an essential role in treating and containing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Another instance in which traditional, herbal medicine was used to treat symptoms was in Africa with the Africa flower. This plant “has been used for decades to treat wasting symptoms associated with HIV.”

According to Tran, the key factors in improving the current state of medicinal plant cultivation is to focus on a conservation framework and sustainable practices.

“Health in humans and ecosystems is not a steady state but a dynamic one marked by resilience. Both medicine and ecosystem science and management should focus on promoting and restoring the innate ability of biological systems to protect themselves, recover, and heal,” Tran stated. Then, she explained that “Systems that draw upon or mimic the elegance, economies, and resilience of nature offer promising paths for health care research and development.”

Therefore, the lecture also stood as a public service announcement for maintaining balance between the human need of harvesting plants and the delicate state of our natural environments.

Taking from the studies of Jane Bothwell, an herbalist and the Director for the Dandelion Herbal Center in Kneeland, California, Tran explained that “An analog is an herb having a parallel action, function or end result to other medicinal herbs.”

If pharmaceutical companies and foragers alike pivot towards the use of analogs, this cooperation could aid plants that are quickly declining in population or are in immediate danger of becoming extinct from over-harvesting. Since the list of at-risk plants continues to grow in number (such as the Red Sandalwood, used for timber), plant alternatives could aid in soothing this rapidly growing list.

Hence, throughout the lecture, Tran strongly advocated for the synergistic collaboration between humans and our natural surroundings. As a call to action, she provided information for getting involved with Bioneers to start “a revolution from the heart of nature” or partnering with the United Plant Savers.

Additionally, anyone can become an advocator for Ethical plant sourcing alongside the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and the Sustainable Herbs Program via the American Botanical Council.

During the lecture Tran emphasized that, “Each of us is deeply connected with Earth’s ecosystems; each of our lives is only a moment in the grand scale of time. Ultimately, we all depend on the health of the global community and of Earth’s biosphere for our own health and happiness. Individuals cannot live healthy or happy lives in poisoned ecosystems and unhealthy communities.”