KEW SEEKS £700,000 T0 CHECK CHINESE MEDICINAL HERBS

Growing fears that the public may not always receive the correct herbs prescribed in traditional Chinese herbal medicine are leading to calls for the setting up of an identification centre. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are now planning such a centre to check on the authenticity and quality of herbs used in remedies.

Chinese herbal medicine has become increasingly popular in the west in recent years. However, inadequate quality control and over-exploitation of plants from the wild has meant that substitute, fake and adulterated herbs have penetrated the international market leading to associated health risks.

Kew is seeking £700,000 to set up a centre which would provide specialist resources and expertise to identify and check the quality of the 400 to 500 Chinese herbal medicine species commonly used in the West.

Kew expert Christine Leon says: "Chinese herbal medicine has already proved to be effective in the treatment of eczema and other skin diseases, and practitioner numbers have increased from 200 to 3,000 over the past 10 years. However, the growing demand for this medicine will lead to a greater number of fakes, substitutes and adulterants unless quality control checks are introduced. By providing such a service, Kew aims to help promote the professional standing of traditional Chinese herbal medicine by ensuring that the correct herbs are prescribed. Without such a centre provided by Kew, health risks are bound to spiral."

Copies of Kew's Funding Proposal to establish the centre can be obtained from Christine Leon, Botanist in Traditional Medicine, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB (Telephone: 0181 332 5702).