Chapter 2 – Value Chains of Herbal Medicines—Ethnopharmacological and Analytical Challenges in a Globalizing World

Abstract

Value chain analysis has been applied to a variety of food commodities (e.g., tea, coffee, and cocoa) to better understand the complex interventions involved in bringing a finished product into the market. This includes the necessary inputs, the factors, and the people involved in each of the steps. Little attention however has been paid to value chains of medicinal plants, an area that is prone to supply chain difficulties including exploitation through middlemen, overharvesting of wild medicinal plants, adulteration and contamination of products at different stages along the chain, and a general lack of traceability through the different stages of production. The quality of the finished product is one variable that can be directly linked to value, but to produce a high-quality herbal medicinal product, it is necessary for each stage of the value chain to have effective quality controls in place. Moreover, it is important that the quality of herbal material be measured objectively at each stage. This is especially important if finished products are destined to be exported to countries where higher entry standards and regulatory requirements exist. Phytochemical analysis/metabolomics provide methods to achieve this measurement, and by investigating and documenting the quality of a product as it moves along the value chain, it is possible to provide better and more defensible justification for value addition, and consequently, these quality-driven interventions result in a higher standard of product for the end consumer.

Keywords

Herbal medicinal product;
Medicinal plant;
Metabolomics;
Quality;
Value chain

Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust through a grant to the LIDC (London International Development Centre) for establishing the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH).

Cheryl & ethnovet

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Monday, 20 April 2015