trends & technology
It seems to have several other virtues
and research is still being conducted as
to the extent of its possible applications.
With the rising general interest in the
plant, demand is increasing.
We started Hypericum perforatum in
a hydro DPS row, using Flora Series
nutrients. Again, plants grew very
rapidly and bloomed at the end of June.
We picked the flowers and fruit in the
beginning of summer, a few days after
the solstice, dried them, and sent them
again to Toulouse.
The results that came back were as
impressive as for the Hieracium pilo-
sella: our harvest was separated into
two groups, one with only the flower-
ing tops, and one with the fruits. They
were compared with a batch of wild
Hypericum growing in soil in the region
of Toulouse as a control. The analysis
concluded that the hydroponically grown
batch entirely complied with the list of
requirements of the pharmacopoeia. The
content of active substance in Hyperium
perforatum was higher: 0.12 per cent for
the soil control, compared to 0.19 per cent
for the flowering tops, and 0.13 per cent
for the fruits. As the minimum required
by the pharmacopoeia was 0.8 per cent,
our plants passed the tests brilliantly.
We could now draw our own conclu-
sions: medicinal plants cultivated in a
“hydro” Dutch Pot System, with Flora-
series alone, not only fully complied
with therapeutic requirements, but also
contained more active principles than
usual. This confirmed that we could
grow these products for medicinal
purposes and suggest their cultivation
to potential customers who would like
to start small commercial ventures in a
field that is still unexploited.
90
grow cycle
This didn’t end our research
with medicinal plants. After such
encouraging results, we decided to
grow Chrysanthemum parthenium, a
beautiful plant whose flowers are used
for migraines and headaches, and have
antispasmodic and revulsive properties.
Chrysanthemums were cultivated in an
AeroFlo with Flora Series and grew into
large plants heavy with huge clusters of
white flowers. We unfortunately couldn’t
send them for analysis, so we have no
numbers for them.
This year, we are growing Arnica
montana, another plant that is used for
ailments from muscle aches and bruis-
ing to arthritis, and which cultivation may
help keep in the wild the ones that are still
there. Arnica, which is at danger of being
over-exploited due to devastating “in situ”
gathering habits, is protected in Romania,
France, Germany, and in some parts of
Switzerland, and there is a specific regu-
lation as to its gathering in a European
directive of 1997. Each year Europeans
consume some 50,000 kilograms (kg) of
dry flowers, which represents 250,000 to
300,000 kg of fresh flowers. Plus hundreds of
kilos of roots every year. The selling price
for Arnica is relatively high: wholesale
is approximately 30 euros a kilo for dried
flowers and approximately 60 euros for
roots. The Spanish gatherer is paid approx-
imately five euros for a kilo of dried matter.
To summarize, it is important to note that
although plants are “natural,” they must
not be used without the right knowledge
or advice. So when you find them on
the shelves, and even more if you grow
them, make sure to ask for advice before
ingesting them, as some of them can be
terribly dangerous.
“This year, we are
growing Arnica
montana, another
plant which is
used for ailments
from muscle aches
and bruising to
arthritis, and
which cultivation
may help keep in
the wild the ones
that are still there.”