NEWS

N.C. should tap into growing herb market while also protecting people, experts say

By DAVID WILLIAMSON
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina’s agricultural communities should tap into the U.S. natural medicinal products market because they already are strongly positioned to do so effectively, plant and health experts concluded following a recent conference at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. That market, estimated to be worth more than $40 billion, could help take up some economic slack among N.C. farmers shifting out of tobacco production.

At the same time, the experts say, safeguards need to be established to ensure that the public is protected and getting value for its money.

"Unique in state history, the N.C. Summit on Natural Medicinal Products ended with a strong synergy and a conviction that North Carolina is uniquely suited to initiate a three-pronged effort involving agriculture, industry and health," said Dr. John B. Longenecker, director of UNC’s Institute of Nutrition and summit chair. "Our state can and should provide high-quality medicinal herbs and herb-derived products to the public, along with information about their safety and efficiency."

Dr. Lenore Arab, professor of epidemiology and nutrition in public health and medicine at UNC and co-chair of the group addressing the health issues, today (Oct. 31) released conclusions drawn at the meeting and a consensus statement drafted since then.

"This document stresses the need among the public and professionals to be well informed about the healthful and appropriate use of these products," Arab said. "The consensus emphasizes four areas where the needs are the greatest.

"We need readily accessible information on efficacy, safety and interactions, we need to educate health professionals regarding these products and we need to know what is being used in North Carolina, by whom and why," she said. "We also strongly recommend that an active, user-friendly event reporting system should be developed and made easily available to everyone so that both beneficial and adverse events related to natural medicinal products can be recorded, evaluated and distributed quickly."

This rapid and widely accessible event-reporting system will allow the public to share their experiences, Arab said. It should serve as both an early alarm system for adverse interactions and a system for recognizing positive effects.

"We have a unique situation in North Carolina -- great growing potential, strong natural products chemistry, pharmacology and medical research resources," she said. "North Carolina could become a leader nationwide in the production of high-quality products and in further developing a coalition that serves health, agriculture and commerce with a coordinated effort in an area that has tremendous health and economic potential."

The Consortium of Natural Medicine and Public Health, which held the summit, is a voluntary group of people of diverse backgrounds in agriculture, health and industry, Longenecker said. Begun under the auspices of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the UNC Institute of Nutrition and the N.C. Department of Agriculture, it is dedicated to developing natural medicinal products responsibly for North Carolina and will work with the Golden LEAF (Long-term Economic Advancement) Foundation to reach that goal. The foundation received and is responsible for distributing money resulting from the tobacco settlement.

"The summit was an enriching experience and the final turning point in our quest to formulate strategic guidelines for complete development of North Carolina’s natural products economy," Longenecker said. "This vision is now taking concrete form, and our consortium will partner with many individuals and companies who participated in the summit to make developing a sustainable medicinal herbs market here a reality."

The 125 invited summit participants were legislators, farmers, economists and scientific experts from agriculture, medicine, public health, pharmacology and health care. Strategies and market niches were identified and interdisciplinary discussions begun covering various perspectives related to potential natural medicinal products and markets.

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Note: Longenecker can be reached at (919) 966-1094 or jlongene@email.unc.edu, Arab at 966-7450 or arab@email.unc.edu.

Contact: David Williamson, (919) 962-8596