Community Involvement in Science - Dr. Aruna Weerasuriya

MEDICINAL PLANTS: Quality, Safety &

Commercialization

Aruna D. Weerasooriya, Ph.D. FLS Texas A&M University System

Cooperative Agricultural Research Center Prairie View, Texas

Science & Technology for Society Forum Sri Lanka 2016

Outline

• Medicinal Plants • Traditional Medicine Systems • Quality maintenance in raw material • Use of Medicinal Plants in the United States • Herbal Dietary Supplements: Issues in the US

• Uncontrolled Psychoactive Plants • Commercialization • Current Research


Medicinal Plants • Over 70,000 plant species are thought to be

Medicinal

• 80% of people living in developing countries use traditional medicine as primary healthcare needs

• The global trade in herbal products is over $60 billion a year

• Most of the popular commercial drugs have been derived from plants


Traditional Medicine Systems • Indian system of TM (Ayurveda, Siddha and

Unani)

• Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Ancient Iranian Medicine

• Ancient Islamic Medicine

• Traditional Korean Medicine

• Traditional African Medicine


• Collection • Wild crafted • Cultivated

• Collection time & Quality • Time of the Day/ Season • Growth stage of the plant species

Quality maintenance in raw material


Quality maintenance in raw material • Substitute plants

• Processing

• Harvest and postharvest handling • Drying • Grinding / Extraction

• Detoxification

• Combining several species


Use of Medicinal Plants in the United States

• Herbal Dietary Supplements • Pharmaceuticals • Fragrances • Flavoring ingredients • Coloring ingredients


Morinda citrifolia L. (Rubiaceae)

Noni – Anticancer/antioxidant

Herbal Dietary Supplements: Issues in the US


Lycium barbarum L. (Solanaceae) Gojiberry – for long life



Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne. (Asclepiadaceae)

Appetite Suppressant



Herbal Viagra : Herbal products laced with sildenafil citrate



Turnera diffusa Willd. ex Schult.

(Turneraceae)

Damina

Leonotis leonurus (L.) R.Br.

(Lamiaceae)

Wild Dagga

Leonurus sibiricus L.

(Lamiaceae)

Marihuanilla

Uncontrolled Psychoactive Plants


Medicinal Plants: Commercialization

Goraka

Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) Roxb.

Weight loss



Ceylon Cinnamon

Cinnamomum verum J.Presl

Food flavoring; Diabetes



Tumeric

Curcuma longa L.

Alzheimer’s; Arthritis



Soursop; Graviola

Annona muricata L.

Anti-tumor



Mangosteen

Garcinia mangostana L.

Anti-tumor; Antioxidant



Moringa

Moringa oleifera Lam.

Antiasthmatic; Antioxidant


Yams & Wild Yams

Dioscorea sp.

HRT and Contraceptive



Salvia miltiorrhiza (Lamiaceae) Red Sage - promotes blood circulation and vessel inflammation

Danshen Dripping Pill



• Stevia rebaudiana Natural Sweetener



• Study of the authenticity, quality and safety of the raw material used in US herbal industry by using botanical, chemical and genomic techniques

• Develop comprehensive reference system for industries and regulatory agencies.

• Optimization of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants by using traditional agronomic practices and genetic engineering.

Current Research


Phyla dulcis (Trevir.) Moldenke Natural Sweetener

(Hernandulcin)



Thank You

Questions?


Community Involvement in Science - Dr. Aruna Weerasuriya

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