Govt seeks international recognition of Thai herbs

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Govt seeks international recognition of Thai herbs

BANGKOK, 29 February 2016, (NNT) - Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn has stressed that the government is urging higher industry standards and seeking international recognition of Thai herbs.

The Minister said it is important to educate the public about traditional Thai medicine, as younger generations don't have much interest in Thai herbs. Dr. Piyasakol pointed out that Thai medicine is safe and potent in healing various illnesses. He also indicated that nowadays traditional medicine can easily be found in grocery stores and hospitals, adding that the use of some of them is eligible for medical expense reimbursement.

Meanwhile, the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine's Director-General Suriya Wongkongkathep, says that his agency has developed several traditional medicines that are suitable for use by the public.

He added that the department has pushed for the establishment of a Thai traditional medicine division in several hospitals, while providing assistance in the cultivation of Thai herbs and promoting traditional Thai massage, both of which have been generating significant income for the Kingdom.


-- NNT 2016-02-29

[catterwell]

Some Thai grass is pretty good ...

[amerasianex]

I think madicinally speaking Thai herbs are the best in the world. But now you have to catch up with laws that promote madicinal herbs. And yes even marajuna.

[happynthailand]

yea can see it now,try our herb's the best in the world

[nong38]

Thats a Triffid I think, good for mother in laws!

[Hawk]

"promoting traditional Thai massage, both of which have been generating significant income for the Kingdom."

Well, the Thai soapy massage business has always been a good income earner for the country.

[attrayant]

It is important to educate the public about traditional Thai medicine, as younger generations don't have much interest in Thai herbs.

This gives me some hope that the younger generation is actually learning something and not relying on magical thinking to treat symptoms and cure sickness.

[Misterwhisper]

There are no "Thai" herbs just as much as there are no "Malaysian" herbs or "Cambodian" herbs.

All these medicinal plants grow throughout the region, i.e. in other countries, too.

[bark]

Thai Herbs and Vegetables are loaded with Pesticides. Yes really health for you. NOT !

[Srikcir]

A problem with medicinal use of herbs is that herbs are often from genetic resources, ie., from a natural occurring plant. Because genetic resources exist in nature and are not creations of the human mind, they cannot be directly protected as intellectual property. Sale of Thai herbs is more an advertising challenge against an unlimited market of suppliers.

[PaullyW]

There are no "Thai" herbs just as much as there are no "Malaysian" herbs or "Cambodian" herbs.

All these medicinal plants grow throughout the region, i.e. in other countries, too.

Don't you know? Everything in Thailand is extra special. "Not same you kunTREE. Sappeshun."

Herb Thai

Bus Thai

Wheel Thai

Air Thai

Water Thai

DNA Thai

[connda]

The West already recognizes Kratom which is legally available via the retail markets. A herb with zing.

[arrowsdawdle]

Is he trying to take advantage of all the slave labor being tossed from the fishing boats?

[HerbalEd]

It is important to educate the public about traditional Thai medicine, as younger generations don't have much interest in Thai herbs.

This gives me some hope that the younger generation is actually learning something and not relying on magical thinking to treat symptoms and cure sickness.

The millions of pharmacologically active chemical compounds found in the world's plants is not "magical" ... it's called pharmaceutical science. Right now, 60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized.

[HerbalEd]

yea can see it now,try our herb's the best in the world

12115838_1074263212618680_5037352241870632588_n.png

Actually Thai pot is some of the worst in the world. Unfortunately the days of high quality "Thai Sticks" are long gone.

However, if the times ever comes for legal pot in Thailand, I'm sure Thai farmers could be bought up to speed and grow some of the world's best.

[sunnyjim5]

It is important to educate the public about traditional Thai medicine, as younger generations don't have much interest in Thai herbs.

This gives me some hope that the younger generation is actually learning something and not relying on magical thinking to treat symptoms and cure sickness.

The millions of pharmacologically active chemical compounds found in the world's plants is not "magical" ... it's called pharmaceutical science. Right now, 60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized.

Where does the 60% figure come from ?

Any links to reliable scientific fact ?

[HerbalEd]

The West already recognizes Kratom which is legally available via the retail markets. A herb with zing.

Where exactly is Kratom "legally available"? It's banned/illegal in USA and EU.

[HerbalEd]

It is important to educate the public about traditional Thai medicine, as younger generations don't have much interest in Thai herbs.

This gives me some hope that the younger generation is actually learning something and not relying on magical thinking to treat symptoms and cure sickness.

The millions of pharmacologically active chemical compounds found in the world's plants is not "magical" ... it's called pharmaceutical science. Right now, 60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized.

Where does the 60% figure come from ?

Any links to reliable scientific fact ?

I've been in the legal medicinal herb business for 40 years, and am intimately involved with the medicinal-herb academic and sciences communities. For years I've attended many scientific and academic congresses and symposiums on medicinal herbs where that 60% figure is commonly referenced.

The WHO sponsors many of these symposiums, and is very supportive of herbal medicine and puts lots of funding and staff behind promoting the incorporation of medicinal herbs into modern health care systems ... especially in poor countries.

Meanwhile instead of me taking the time to find you an actual reference to that figure ... which you probably wouldn't believe anyway .. you can probably find references with a bit of Googling ... that is, if you're truly interested in the truth.

Meanwhile here's a few examples:

Aspirin ... salicylic acid first discovered in Willow bark and Meadowsweet flowers, and then synthesized. Aspirin gets it's name from Meadowsweet's botanical name, Spirea.

Digitoxin ... the world's most used drug for congestive heart disease is still extracted from Foxglove plants. It can be synthesized but it's still cheaper to extract it from the plant. There are thousands of acres of Foxglove plants being cultivated in Chile to supply the world's demand for digitoxin.

[sunnyjim5]

HerbalEd

I asked a serious question to which to clearly have no answer -----

Do Aspirin and Digitalis account for your (unsubstantiated) claim that "60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized" ?

What is the "legal medical" herb business ----------Is that an attempt to disguise an involvement in false claims of efficacy and quackery ?

Can herbs "cure" pneumonia, meningitis, polio, aortic valve disease or broken legs ?

Does "herbal" vaccination work ?

[HerbalEd]

HerbalEd

I asked a serious question to which to clearly have no answer -----

Do Aspirin and Digitalis account for your (unsubstantiated) claim that "60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized" ?

What is the "legal medical" herb business ----------Is that an attempt to disguise an involvement in false claims of efficacy and quackery ?

Can herbs "cure" pneumonia, meningitis, polio, aortic valve disease or broken legs ?

Does "herbal" vaccination work ?

HerbalEd

I asked a serious question to which to clearly have no answer -----

Do Aspirin and Digitalis account for your (unsubstantiated) claim that "60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized" ?

What is the "legal medical" herb business ----------Is that an attempt to disguise an involvement in false claims of efficacy and quackery ?

Can herbs "cure" pneumonia, meningitis, polio, aortic valve disease or broken legs ?

Does "herbal" vaccination work ?

Legal meaning not marijuana.

My company is regulated by FDA and we are inspected by FDA several times per year ... sometimes three agents are at our manufacturing and offices facility for three days. Thus, I would have been prosecuted long ago if my company made "false claims of efficacy and quackery."

BTW, during these many FDA on-site inspections we have never received even one notice of failure to comply to the hundreds of GMPs & SOPs required by FDA, nor any findings of improper labeling or marketing materials.

Yes, there are those who make false claims and use shoddy manufacturing procedures, but we're not one of them, and we support the American Herbal Products Association's cooperation with FDA & FTC in finding and busting these companies.

Just so you know: there are often pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and MDs who get busted for illegal practices.

Aspirin and digitoxin were examples. Didn't you read that?

You imply that I'm saying all diseases can be cured by herbs ... which I didn't. Even modern medicine can't cure all diseases.

Yes, herbs can cure pneumonia ... in fact, I've seen it several times.

Yes, the healing of broken bones can be expedited and improved by the use of allantoin-containing plants. Allantoin is a cell proliferate.

Polio can't even be cured by modern medicine. However, the polio vaccine has saved many millions of people from contacting polio.

I'm not at all against modern pharmaceuticals and medicine, but I am definitely pro herbal medicine also. Who says you have to only do one or the other?

[attrayant]

This gives me some hope that the younger generation is actually learning something and not relying on magical thinking to treat symptoms and cure sickness.

The millions of pharmacologically active chemical compounds found in the world's plants is not "magical" ... it's called pharmaceutical science. Right now, 60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized.

You're talking about something quite different than what the OP is referring to. By "herbal medicine", people typically mean going to a shaman or witch doctor for an oregano & turmeric poultice that they hope will cure their testicular cancer and bring them good luck. A gullible person reads an anecdote on somebody's blog about how they healed a foot infection with herbs and a copper anklet, and rather than seeking out competent medical help, they go to the corner market for a bag of dried leaves to soak their foot in. Six months later they end up getting their foot amputated.

That's the magical thinking I'm referring to. This topic comes up so frequently here that I have a canned response:

It's nonsensical to talk about western or eastern medicine, Thai herbs or Cambodian herbs, Traditional medicine or 'alternative' medicine. There is only evidence-based medicine. It doesn't become more or less valuable or effective simply by crossing some imaginary dividing line between two countries. If some effective component of an herb or plant root is clinically tested, passes properly controlled clinical trials and found to have beneficial medicinal effects (meaning the potential benefits outweigh the risks and side effects), its active ingredient is isolated and made into a form more suitable for human ingestion. That's how evidence-based medicine should work, no matter which country/culture we're talking about.

Since you brought up aspirin, let's talk about that. A hundred or so years ago somebody noticed that gnawing on the bark of a certain species of willow tree produced analgesic effects in some people. But there were some problems - it was a bit hit or miss, and not everybody reported feeling a benefit. You had to get the right kind of tree bark, from the right part of the tree. It had to be the right time of the year, and hopefully from a spot on the tree that hadn't been peed on by a squirrel, some people who tried it reported severe stomach irritation. The bark would quickly decompose and turn moldy so it had to be collected fresh, which wasn't always possible. In short - it was a good discovery, but there were a lot of problems to be resolved.

Eventually the active ingredient - salicylic acid - was isolated, extracted and made into a powder that could be dissolved in tea.

In the mid 1800s, chemists began synthetic production of salicylic acid, which was an easier and less expensive way to produce the compound. In the early 1900s, Bayer improved on the formula making acetylsalicylic acid, which had the same analgesic effects but was less irritating to sensitive people.

With this compound, now in pill or tablet form, you could be assured of getting the right dose of medicine that had been made in a sterile environment under proper quality controls. It was available all year round and could be kept at home in a bottle for many months until it was needed. Going to a village doctor for some herbs? Not so much.

I'm not trying to poo-poo herbal remedies. I think it's a good place to start looking for organic compounds we may never have encountered. But it's only a starting point. Once some ingredient with potential benefit is found, a lot of work needs to happen before its effects can be documented, tested for safety and set in a properly metered dose. Only then should it properly be called medicine.

Herbs are good for little more than cooking.

[Beats56]

HerbalEd

I asked a serious question to which to clearly have no answer -----

Do Aspirin and Digitalis account for your (unsubstantiated) claim that "60% of pharmaceutical drugs used worldwide are either made from plant compounds, or were originally discovered in plants and then synthesized" ?

What is the "legal medical" herb business ----------Is that an attempt to disguise an involvement in false claims of efficacy and quackery ?

Can herbs "cure" pneumonia, meningitis, polio, aortic valve disease or broken legs ?

Does "herbal" vaccination work ?

[Beats56]

Dry some papaya leaves out. They have a lot of medicable value. Google and you see.

[sawadee1947]

"promoting traditional Thai massage, both of which have been generating significant income for the Kingdom."

Well, the Thai soapy massage business has always been a good income earner for the country.

Well, the Thai soapy massage business has always been a good income earner for the country.

Yeah, in particular the "Happy End" massage........

[rwdrwdrwd]

The West already recognizes Kratom which is legally available via the retail markets. A herb with zing.

Where exactly is Kratom "legally available"? It's banned/illegal in USA and EU.

According to http://speciosa.org/kratom-legality-map/ it is legal in the vast majority of the USA

Also appears to be legal in Canada and most of the EU as well - http://kratomonline.org/is-kratom-legal/

In terms of the UK, It may be caught under the new UK psychoactive substances bill with an import/supply ban from April this year though I believe possession remains legal.