Lorne Peterson writes (27 May, 2007):
I have some questions about a new book on medicinal plants in Canada.
Please find a link for a National Research Council Canada press release re Canadian Medicinal Crops by Ernest Small and Paul Catling, both research scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/isbn/978-0-660-17534-8#.WV5-D4jytPY
This book sounds interesting as a new source of information about medicinal plants. I do wonder though about the emphasis on “commercially profitable plants”, noted by the press release.
I would hope that such a book would put emphasis on the need to conserve native plants and their habitats. Are the National Research Council and Agriculture Canada encouraging the commercial harvesting of native plants, such as Ginseng, Echinacea and Goldenseal, in their natural habitats? Not having read the book, only the press release, I don’t know the answer.
Does anyone on the Greenspace Alliance list know more about this new book and the native plant conservation policies of Agriculture Canada.
[Archivist’s note: The press release is no longer online. The link above is to the authors’ 2000 book with the same title.]