DATE: October 20, 2008

CONTACT: David Gangemi, 864-656-6463
gangemi@clemson.edu

WRITER: Peter Kent, 864-656-4355
pkent@clemson.edu

Green, leafy pharmaceuticals: plants with the power to treat diseases

CLEMSON — Collaborating through the South Carolina Center for Botanical Medicine based in Charleston, plant researchers at Clemson University are working with medical researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina to identify the active ingredients in plants and to understand the impact biocompounds have on illnesses ranging from cancer to arthritis.

As plant-base therapeutics find widespread acceptance, it will be necessary to ensure dependable dosage levels as botanical products are integrated into the practice of medicine, says David Gangemi, director of Clemson’s Institute for Nutraceutical Research.

“Our research investigates how the compounds work and interact with other drugs. Our goal is to provide reliable, science-based information for the plant-based therapeutics industry, health-care professionals and the public.”

Researchers also are studying how to grow the medicinal plants as an agricultural crop and how to process the plants into usable products. Horticulturists at Clemson’s Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston are leading the search for commercial production applications to help South Carolina farmers grow quality medicinal plants for the multi-billion-dollar nutraceutical industry.

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