Food and beverage makers often add ginseng to tea and other products because it is perceived as an energy-booster. Now, an increased supply may become available in the near future.
Dr. Zamir Punja of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, has become the first scientist to successfully clone North American ginseng in the lab. Dr. Punja, who is professor of biological sciences and director of the Center for Pest Management, succeeded in growing the plant in only 12 mos. compared to the 3 yrs. that nature requires. In addition, the plant was cloned from leaf cells instead of the usual method of using roots.
The value of cloning ginseng is that it could improve ginseng farming in Canada and the rest of the world, particularly where it is valued for its medicinal properties. In Asia, where 90% of the Canadian crop is exported to, ginseng 's root is dried and used to treat such disorders as high blood pressure, stress, hypertension and fatigue. Cloning will cut down on growing time, but most importantly, will preserve superior genetic material because, as Dr. Punja asserts, there are no varieties of ginseng but the root comes in many shapes, sizes and potencies.
While supply of ginseng can increase, there is no expectation that cloned plants will replace planting and nurturing of seeds by Canadian ginseng farmers because cloning is still too expensive, about $ .05 for a seed compared to $1.25 for a cloned plant. A decade from now, however, farmers may want cloned plants to get greater uniformity. For now, Dr. Punja is collaborating with a company, Phytogen Plant Products, to produce the cloned plants for commercial use on a broad scale.
- SOURCE: Industries in Transition1996.10.01
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