Growing Chinese medicinal herbs in the United States: understanding practitioner preferences

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by US consumers has grown in recent years. CAM therapies often utilize medicinal herbs as part of the treatment process; however, research on US practitioner preferences for medicinal herbs is limited, despite growing concern surrounding the su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agriculture and human values 2012-06, Vol.29 (2), p.151-159
Main Authors: Lillywhite, Jay M, Simonsen, Jennifer E, Wilson, Vera
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accreditation
Acupuncture
Agricultural Economics
Agriculture
Alternative medicine
Chinese medicine
Conjoint analysis
Consortia
consumer preferences
Consumers
Education
emerging markets
Ethics
Evolutionary Biology
Expenditures
Farms
freshness
growers
Herbal medicine
Herbs
History
Licenses
medicinal plants
Patients
Philosophy
Polls & surveys
prices
Studies
Supply chains
surveys
Sustainability
traceability
Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science
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Summary:The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by US consumers has grown in recent years. CAM therapies often utilize medicinal herbs as part of the treatment process; however, research on US practitioner preferences for medicinal herbs is limited, despite growing concern surrounding the sustainability of wild-harvested medicinal herbs. In order better to understand consumer preferences for this emerging market, a mail survey of US practitioners (licensed acupuncturists) was conducted to examine the importance of five herb attributes in practitioners’ herb selection decisions: (1) country of origin, (2) freshness, (3) production method (organic versus conventional), (4) price, and (5) traceability. The significance of these five traits is investigated using discrete choice analysis, and the implications for US medicinal herb growers are discussed.
ISSN:0889-048X
1572-8366
DOI:10.1007/s10460-011-9332-z