The superstars of the herbal world - Echinacea, St John’s Wort, gingko and garlic - are becoming increasingly popular as
more people turn to herbal medicine to ease life’s ailments.
The popularity of these and other herbal remedies has been boosted by robust research and scientific attention.
According to New Zealand medical herbalist Phil Rasmussen, that research is helping make people more comfortable with
what have been traditionally viewed as alternative remedies.
Mr Rasmussen is a director of herbal manufacturing and formulation company, Phytomed, which is carrying an intensive
research programme aimed at increasing the availability of herbal medicines made from formulations of different organic
herbal extracts.
With a grant of almost $30,000 from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology through its Grants for Private
Sector Research and Development (GPSRD) scheme, Phytomed has been able to carry out the formulations needed to take its
practitioner strength products into the retail market through mainstream pharmacies and health food stores.
The company makes around 180 different individual products available to health practitioners only, but the first four
formulations for the retail market hit the shelves two months ago under the ‘Kiwiherb’ label. Echinacea in honey, and a
throat formulation are already proving popular in the winter cold and flu season, while an allergy remedy and a
digestive aid that Mr Rasmussen describes as ‘like a herbal antacid’ make up the early numbers.
So far, all of the three year-old company’s products are sold locally, but Mr Rasmussen believes there could be a
lucrative export niche building on New Zealand’s organic reputation.
Mr Rasmussen, a UK-trained and registered medical herbalist, says Phytomed’s Kiwiherb products are unique in that they
are of practitioner strength and formulation. “For example, we know that our Echinacea product is three times as strong
as the majority of others currently sold over the counter. We also source the raw materials for our extracts from New
Zealand-grown organic herbs.”
He says sales of phytomedicines have undergone a period of rapid growth in recent years, catalysed by increased
concerns about the safety of synthetic drugs, and favourable results from clinical trials. In North America and
Australasia, sale figures for herbal medicines and dietary supplements sold through retail outlets are now comparable to
sales of orthodox medicines.
Mr Rasmussen is currently lecturing at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences on the
evaluation of herbal medicines. His qualifications stand him in good stead; he lectured for many years to various
colleges on phytopharmacology, and has written extensively for various herbal and pharmacy publications. From 1993 until
1997 he established and operated a phytotherapy service for a government-funded drug Detoxification Unit in Auckland.
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