This medicinal herb could one day be worth $20 million to Alberta producers.
Russian cosmonauts and Olympic athletes extol the benefits of this plant. Health-conscious German consumers can't get enough of. It takes four years to grow, but can only germinate when it's cold. What is it? The answer is Rhodiola rosea, a medicinal herb native to Siberia and parts of northern China. If you've never heard of this plant - renowned for its ability to boost energy and reduce fatigue and stress in the human body - that could be about to change.
The Rhodiola rosea Commercialization Project, now in its fourth year, is inching ever closer to unlocking how Alberta producers can grow this plant effectively and profitably.
"There are a small but growing number of medicinal herbs that are widely used today," says Susan Lutz, Senior Development Officer for Functional Foods and Natural Health Products with Alberta Agriculture and Food. "Everybody knows about Echinacea, for example. Industry experts believe that Rhodiola rosea could one day be in the top-10 of medicinal herbs, if only someone could learn to cultivate it."
Why not us? Launched in 2004, the Rhodiola Rosea Commercialization Project brings together scientists and others in fields such as agronomy, product development, regulatory and marketing issues and communications and promotion. With 50 acres currently being grown, the aim of Lutz's group is to have 400 acres' worth of Rhodiola rosea in the ground in Alberta.
"If we can grow a consistent, high-quality crop, there's little doubt that buyers will come," says Lutz. "Canadian and Asian companies have already visited Alberta to see our crop and meet our team, and international buyers have asked for up to 3 metric tonnes' worth."
From Field to medicine cabinet
In many ways, the Rhodiola Rosea Commercialization Project is a model for product development of alternative crops. Because of its exceptional promise, Rhodiola rosea is being investigated in a comprehensive, integrated way. It's believed this approach will allow the team to overcome obstacles faced on the road to commercialization.
The first obstacle was a doozy: no seed to plant.
"This plant is traditionally gathered in the wild and the only place it's cultivated is in Finland," says Lutz. "We managed to obtain a supply of authenticated seed. To get seedlings that growers could plant, we put the seed in salt shakers, and sprinkled them onto trays. Because the seed needs to be cold before germinating, we put them outside to germinate. In February."
In fact, reliably cold weather is one of Alberta's competitive advantages with Rhodiola rosea, compared to warmer jurisdictions like southern Ontario and the U.S.
Over the past three years, an expanding network of cooperating Alberta growers have planted Lutz's Rhodiola rosea seedlings. These growers, who represent southern, central and northern Alberta as well as the Peace, are asked to commit to growing an acre or two for four years.
The four-year period is crucial since the commercially valuable bio-actives, known as rosavins and salidrosides, are contained in the root and crown of the plant, not the leaves. Based on agronomic and cost-of-production feedback from producers, the Rhodiola Rosea Grower's Manual is updated each year.
"The main comment we hear back is that weed control is a tough issue," says Lutz. "But there's a lot of enthusiasm for the plant. Some growers have previously tried to grow Echinacea, and Rhodiola rosea doesn't have the winterkill problems they found with Echinacea."
Grow an acre, build an industry
With four years of cultivation in the books, the Rhodiola Rosea Commercialization Project experienced its first harvest in 2007. Plants are being tested for the presence and viability of the bio-actives the medicinal herb market is looking for.
Meanwhile, Lutz is looking for Alberta growers who have an acre to spare and four years to watch over it. Those who step forward will become part of a dedicated effort to make this unique plant a profitable piece of the future crop mix for the province's farmers. The new Alberta Rhodiola Rosea Growers Organization (ARRGO) will lead the charge on behalf of producers.
Future issues for the Rhodiola Rosea Commercialization Project to grapple with include clinical trials, Health Canada clearance and the development of value chains linking grower to processor to marketer to consumer.
Still, Susan Lutz is optimistic this field-to-medicine-cabinet project will pull it all together. "As far as we can see, Rhodiola rosea has the potential to be an $80 million plant in North America," she says, "and we can't think of a reason why Alberta can't eventually capture 25% of it."
(Article above from Winter 2008 Renewal Now, published by the Renewal chapter of the Agricultural Policy Framework, a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Initiative).
