Specs, Prices Included in Medicinal Plant News Service

Specs, Prices Included in Medicinal Plant News Service

GENEVA--Market News Service (MNS), part of the International Trade Centre, published its newest edition of its newsletter on medicinal plants and extracts in March. The newsletter covers regional reviews about the primary producing and consuming areas, including the United States, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, China, Japan and India. Among the coverage for each section are regional demand, indicative raw material prices, product profiles and upcoming trade fairs. This edition also includes several special features, including a technical profile on chamomile flower, a regional focus on the Pacific region, and regulatory highlights from the United States.

The American section of the report noted that the overall slowdown in the U.S. economy and the events of Sept. 11 "undoubtedly hurt sales of dietary supplements and other herbal products ... [however] the downswing in the natural products markets had begun much earlier than in other consumer sectors." This has resulted in an increase in purchases of raw materials from lower cost Asian sources, while U.S. companies focus on patented materials. MNS also reviewed the regulatory actions in the United States and Canada impacting sales of botanicals such as kava andephedra, and projected continued strong growth for products such as soy, green tea andlycopene. For more details or to subscribe, visit www.intracen.org/mns.