Herbal Research
Herbal therapies are in widespread use throughout the world, but the actual benefits and risks remain to be evaluated in most cases by clinical trials supported and conducted according to the principles of modern clinical science. The Caribbean Herbal Medicine Research Institute (CaHMRI) is intended to integrate research and education on herbal and traditional medicines, whereby Trinidad and Tobago’s traditional knowledge of medicinal plants can be used to develop viable alternatives for disease management and therapeutic purposes.
The mission of the Institute is to become the regional leader in applying rigorous scientific analysis to the development of and education about herbal remedies, with the following outcomes:
- Identification and cataloguing of herbs used for medicinal/therapeutic purposes,
- Production and standardisation of herbal preparations for administration to clinical subjects,
- Study of the safety and clinical benefits of herbal medicinal treatments and therapies,
- Identification of key constituents in those herbal preparations proven to be efficacious, and
- Generation of procedures and best practices related to the above.
A key aspect of CaHMRI’s mandate will be knowledge dissemination on herbal remedies. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has become one of the most lucrative markets worldwide, and there exists a need to educate medical practitioners, professionals allied to the medical and health care industry, policy makers and the general public on a number of issues related to the use of CAM, and in particular, herbal products. CaHMRI will address issues critical to good practice within the industry, allowing major global issues to be addressed within a Caribbean context, including concerns on policy; safety, efficacy, and quality; access and rational use; adverse event reporting; and clinical trials. |
