On Herb Demand

Consumers are looking increasingly toward alternative models of care as the cost of healthcare in the U.S. has risen to be one of the highest in the world. Public concern over the prescription opioid addiction crisis, antibiotic resistant strains of infectious bacteria, and general mistrust for a medical system that is seen as increasingly mired in a poorly regulated and profit-driven framework has contributed to this trend.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is uniquely positioned to fill this demand for alternative healthcare. With its long, written history of empirical observation, and relatively extensive body of contemporary evidence Chinese Medicine is one of the alternative care systems with the highest level of acceptance among medical professionals and savvy consumers.

By 2012 an estimated 20 million Americans had tried Chinese Medicine. Available data shows that the number of patient visits tripled between 2000 and 2010. Approximately 30,000 licensed practitioners of Chinese Medicine, according to a 2009 survey, were serving these patients. This number grows each year as graduates of the nearly 50 accredited schools of Chinese Medicine in the U.S. enter the workforce.

The demand created for Chinese Medicinal Herbs by this growing market is what the Appalachian Herb Growers Consortium is positioning itself to meet. What distinguishes the AHGC from other major suppliers of Chinese Medicinal Herbs is the fact that all of its herbs are domestically grown. This creates jobs for the American farmer and worker. It also addresses the concerns of our consumers over possible contamination from under-regulated, foreign growing conditions and processing.

Perhaps the most widely accepted, authoritative listing of Chinese Medicinal Herbs among English speaking practitioners is the Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, Bensky et.al. This text contains 532 listings of herbs in common, modern usage. Basic herb pharmacy starter kits for new practitioners tend to contain about 50 different species of herbs. A good, working pharmacy will feature at least twice that number. A broad selection of herbs allows practitioners to feel confident in their ability to successfully treat the variety of conditions they will encounter.

The AHGC currently has 34 different herbs under cultivation. Growth in our processing capacity and manpower will allow us to expand this offering and take an increasingly prominent role providing for herbalists looking to stock their clinics.

J. Nile Bachmann, LAc