The Hidden Impact of Climate Change on Herbal Medicine & Farming with Medicinal Plant Expert Josef Brinkmann

Since 1979, Josef has worked at all levels within the medicinal plant sector; organic farming and wild collection, production of extracts, manufacturing of finished herbal medicinal products, TCM clinic, standards-setting (quality and sustainability), and consulting governmental- and intergovernmental organizations in sustainable development and biodiversity conservation projects in Africa, Asia, and South America.

From 2002 to 2016, he served as International Consultant on Market Intelligence for Medicinal Plants at the International Trade Centre, the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations; 2004-2008 as a member of the International Standard for the Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP) Steering Group; and 2008-2021 as a member of the Board of Trustees of the FairWild Foundation, a standards-setting organization for sustainable wild collection of medicinal plants. He currently serves as Research Fellow for Medicinal Plants and Botanical Supply Chain at Traditional Medicinals (Sebastopol, California).

He is an elected member of the United States Pharmacopoeia Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Expert Committee. At the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, he advises on commercial sources & handling and international regulatory status. He also serves as an Advisory Board member of the American Botanical Council and an Advisory Group member of ABC’s Sustainable Herbs Program. In 2016, he received a Doctor of Humane Letters in Healing and Sustainability honoris causa from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and California Institute of Integral Studies.

In this episode, Josef paints a challenging picture of how the climate crisis is impacting herbal medicine. From insights on quality and sustainability to farming challenges, this discussion highlights why ecological and socially responsible herbs are so important. 

Joseph talks on:

• The current state of herbal medicine as an industry. 
• The impacts of the Climate Crisis on farming.
• Climate adaption and changing plant chemistry.
• The importance of transparency in herb origins.
• The role of pharmacopoeia & quality grading.
• Ideas around global herb conservation. 
• Rhodiola Rosea CITES listing.
• Commercial cultivation of herbs.

You can read more about Josef’s research in the following papers:

Applequist WL, Brinckmann JA, Cunningham AB, Hart RE, Heinrich M, Katerere DR & van Andel T. Scientists ʼ Warning on Climate Change and Medicinal Plants. Planta Medica, 2020; 86(01): 10-18. Available at: https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-1041-3406

Brinckmann JA, Cunningham AB, Harter DEV. Running out of time to smell the roseroots: Reviewing threats and trade in wild Rhodiola rosea L. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2021;269: 113710, Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874120335984

Brinckmann JA. 2022. How climate change is affecting medicinal plants: A phenological, physiological and phytochemical analysis. Herbal Reality. 16 May 2022. Available at: https://www.herbalreality.com/herbalism/sustainability-social-welfare/climate-change-medicinal-plants-analysis/          

Brinckmann JA, Kathe W, Berkhoudt K, Harter DEV, Schippmann U. 2022. A New Global Estimation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Species in Commercial Cultivation and Their Conservation Status. Economic Botany (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-022-09554-7 Full-text access to a view-only version of this paper is available by using the following SharedIt link: https://rdcu.be/cUm0F

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