Herbal medicine put under the microscope

Herbal medicine will go under the microscope later this month at a ground-breaking conference to map the future of the industry in Australia.

The conference convened by three university –based research centres, will bring together all sectors of the industry including regulators, producers, marketers and researchers. Issues to be examined include the safety of herbal products, particularly industry regulation standards and the scientific challenges involved in setting safety standards.

The “Naturally Safe” conference is a co-venture of The University of Queensland’s National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (NRCET), The Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (ACCMER) and Southern Cross University’s Cellulose Valley Project.

NRCET Deputy Director, Professor Barry Noller, said the conference was the first of its kind to be held in Australia and represented a critical milestone for the herbal medicine industry.

“While the public use of herbal medicines has been steadily increasing, there has been less corresponding attention to regulations for safety and product development. This is an opportunity for the industry to discuss, in a scientifically based forum, how to address this issue,” Prof Noller said.

“A key perception among these consumers is that herbs are safe, primarily because they are natural. In fact, this very aspect of these preparations adds to the complexity of the quality assurance programs required to ensure their safety,” he said.

The conference will be held on 27 to 28 June at the Main Lecture Theatre, NRCET, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT FACULTY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER MARLENE MCKENDRY ON 3346 4713 OR 0401 996847 OR VISIT THE CONFERENCE WEBSITE AT http://norsearch.scu.edu.au/conferences/nat_safe/nat_safe_2002.pdf.