Plant extracts analysis of international market

Plant extracts export prices have been volatile, prices showed an upward trend in the early 1990s, the downward trend from 1996 later, from 1996 $ 20/kg down to 11.26/kg in 2003, a 40% decrease, from 2004 onwards, the price was stable and rapid rises, from $ 11.26/kg in 2003 rose to $ 19.12/kg in 2005, an increase of 68%, largely restored to the 1996 price level, especially in the Asian market recovery in prices faster, mainly due to the fast rising demand of the international market for natural medicines, another reason, China plant to industrial development for many years, as the international market to raise the threshold, their competitive capacity is also rising.

North American plant extracts more than 90 percent of the market depends on the United States, and the United States is the world's largest herbal market. According to statistics, each year in the United States to spend $ 6 billion for nutrition and health food, and this market is the increasing rate of nearly 20% per year. About 5% of patients taking natural medicines, of which 80% of the people taking traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment process. Plant extracts currently sold in the U.S. market may be divided into two categories: one is a standard extract usually extract such a clear and uniform quality standard system molecular biology research such as Ginkgo biloba extract (24% ginkgo flavonoids and 6% ginkgolide); other crude plant extract, such extracts are often only extraction ratio without a clear common standards, such as Equisetum extracts. Plant extracts accounted for more than 95% of the U.S. market for herbal medicines, raw herbs and other products account for less than 5%. In the last three years, Chinese exports to the U.S. plant extract 20-30% of the total export volume. The greater demand for varieties of Ginkgo biloba, Hypericum lotus Alice, soybeans, ginseng, etc.

Asian plant extracts market mainly Japan, South Korea and China, the current size of the market for about $ 3 billion, China accounted for 15%. Japan and South Korea are China's major exporting countries of the plant extract. Japan, South Korea, the source of plant extracts from traditional Chinese medicine, the last century 70's, Japan, South Korea vigorously develop Kampo and Korean medicine, Kampo and Korean medicine from Chinese medicine. Japan current pharmaceutical companies more than about 200. Japan Kampo formulations have more than 20,000 kinds of varieties. The majority of the pharmaceutical companies in Japan passed the GMP. The size of the Korean pharmaceutical ranked 10 in the world, the 80 pharmaceutical companies, accounting for 22.2% of the total number of Chinese and Western pharmaceutical companies. In developed countries, on the other hand, the production lines are gradually migrating to Asia, to promote the development of the Asian plant extracts industry.

Europe more prevalent as the raw material of herbal products, plant extracts, is currently the world's largest herbal medicine market, accounting for 45% of the global herbal medicine market, the market size of more than 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2005. Europe is the world's largest cosmetics and health food market and production research and development center. Since 1995, the European plant extract was relatively large market growth, most countries in more than 10% annual growth rate, individual countries or even as high as 16% (such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands). Fastest growing herbal plant extracts into three categories: First, the role of preventive pharmaceutical raw materials, such as garlic, ginseng; medical institutions recognized the old products, such as the treatment of insomnia and neurological products; Third, is the discovery of a new treatment the role of the old products, such as evening primrose oil and ginkgo preparations. European governments and the academic community have a positive attitude on the plant extracts to strengthen the study of medicinal plants and traditional medicine, herbal ginkgo has been widely welcomed.