Concurrent trends for geographical indication herbs and locally grown herbs: Are there implications for pharmacopoeial quality or therapeutic efficacy?

Abstract

There is a growing trend at the national and international level for the defining, specifying and protecting of 'geographical indication' (GI) botanicals. A GI botanical is named after a geographical area, indicating that it is produced within a particular area, and its quality and characteristics depend on natural, historical and cultural factors. Medicinal plants of certain origins and defined qualities have GI protection in China including Fushun Liaoning Schisandra Fruit, Luoping Small Yellow Ginger Rhizome, and Ningxia Barbary Wolfberry Fruit. In the European Union, Calabrian Liquorice Root, Saaz Hop Strobile, and Wild Alföld Chamomile Flower, among others, have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. At the same time there is a competing trend to cultivate medicinal plants away from their native origins and closer to where they will be processed and used. Reasons for this include concerns about quality control, contamination from polluted air, soil and water in some source countries, climate change, supply chain security and traceability, as well as costs of production and price pressure. This presentation summarizes the current literature and provides comparisons of official pharmacopoeial standards for composition, identity, purity, quality and strength against selected GI specifications and results from locally grown research.