Trials are underway in the state’s north to determine whether Tasmania could produce peony roots for the Traditional Chinese Medicine market (TCM).
PhD Candidate with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) Celia van Sprang is researching the herbaceous species Paeonia lactiflora, to investigate whether peony roots produced in Tasmania are comparable in quality to those produced in China.
Miss van Sprang said initial studies were positive.
“Peony roots are the primary plant part used in TCM where the key bioactive, paeoniflorin, is produced. The main indication of root quality is the paeoniflorin content,” Miss van Sprang said.
“We have done some preliminary studies of a limited number of varieties from five commercial growers in Tasmania and Victoria, and the results show there is potential for producing peony roots for TCM in Australia.
“New trials were established earlier this year at locations in northern Tasmania and we will be collecting data across two seasons.”
In TCM, peony root has many medicinal uses, such as maintaining circulatory health and as an anti-inflammatory treatment. It is used in two main forms; one is red peony root (Chi Shao) where the root is sliced and dried and the bark of the root remains intact. The other is white peony root (Bai Shao), where the root is boiled, the bark is removed, and the root is dried. Depending on the requirement, sometimes the root is processed further by frying and steaming.
Miss van Sprang is working to investigate how both pre- and post-harvest factors may affect the quality of the roots.
“We are looking at agronomic aspects that are likely to impact peony root chemistry, such as fertiliser inputs and the practice of flower bud removal, as well as evaluating various post-harvest processing techniques.
“In China, peonies are mainly produced for the roots, whereas in Australia, they are produced for the flowers so there are differences in available genetics between what is grown in Australia and China.
“There is a large number of varieties of P. lactiflora in the local and global floriculture market and my research will be working with a few that have shown promise as options for TCM peonies in the preliminary studies.”
The Director of TIA Professor Michael Rose said the results of this research would be valuable for the Tasmanian agriculture industry.
“We already know that peonies grow well in Tasmania for cut flowers and this work will help us determine whether they could also be grown for the TCM market,” Professor Rose said.
“If so, this could potentially open up a new market for Tasmanian producers bringing with it significant economic benefits for agriculture in this state.”
Miss van Sprang’s research is supported by the Australian Education Management Group (AEMG) in collaboration with the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NUCM) and is part of the TIA TCM Research Hub supporting a total of seven PhD projects.
Find out more about TIA's Research Hub for Traditional Chinese Medicine.