9 months ago (July 2005), CRILA capsule, which was completely extracted from Crinum latifolium L. for the treatment for Uterine Fibroids and the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), was officially approved by the Drug Administration (the Ministry of Health) in Vietnam. Producing CRILA not only brings joy to patients but also opens up a new direction in agricultural production – cultivation of medicinal herbs. The land keeping the highest concern of scientists to develop Crinum latifolium L. is Long Thanh district.
15 years decoding the remedy of the Nguyen dynasty royal physicians.
The reason why this herb is called exquisite name as Crinum latifolium L. (member of Crinums) is that it was often used by royal physicians –Kings’ personal physicians – to formulate remedies for treatment for beautiful virgins who were selected to royal palace and did not get any attention from Kings; so that they suffered from some feminine diseases. There have been controversial opinions about Crinum latifolium L. whether it was capable of curing cancer or not. These opinions led many scientists and doctors to focus on studying on Crinum latifolium L but they still had obscure results. Crinum latifolium L. was used by many people by words of mouth: their leaves are decocted to drink. Then there was happening a grace period in 1990 between Crinum latifolium L. and Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram – Director of Research Development and Manufacture CRINA Center. Dr. Tram said ‘I went on business in Hue at that time, mainly to seek for medicinal plants. While taking a break in a roadside tea stand, through the story I knew the tea vendor is a niece of a Nguyen dynasty royal physician. I was so glad to ask about the medicinal plants and she said her family had a treatment for Uterine Fibroids prepared from Crinum latifolium L. So I went to seek for that plant to study.’
Due to the lack of equipment in the country, with Crinum latifolium L. Dr. Tram went abroad to Bulgaria ( Sofia Technical University, Bulgarian Academy was her workplace) to study. Over 15 plying years, finally Crinum latifolium L. has turned into Crila capsule, which many patients at home and abroad dreamt of. Dr. Tram said, now people infected with Uterine Fibroids and BPH (also known as benign enlargement of the prostate were treated with a foreign drug that only improves the urination but cannot cure some complications. While Crila has been undergone clinical trials in some large hospitals such as National Hospital of Traditional Medicine, Ho Chi Minh National Hospital of Traditional Medicine, and National Institute on Aging with the result which showed that the improvement of the level of urinary dysfunction in patients with BPH decreases from 93.3% to 33.3% on average. It also indicated that 90% of patients with BPH have a significant reduction in tumor volume, in which more than 33% return to normal size after 2 months of therapy. According to statistics, the incidence of BPH is up to 59.18% in men after 40 and 76.93% in men over 50 in Vietnam. In Europe, this figure is up to 80.1% in men over 40.
Long Thanh can develop Crinum latifolium L.
Through the test of climate and soil, the land of Long Thanh district is determined to be the most appropriate land to develop Crinum latifolium L. Currently, the campus of the herbal farm of National Phytopharma joint-stock company is about 18 acres, in which 12 acres are covered with Crinum latifolium L., pending harvest. Dr. Tram said the Research Development and Manufacture CRINA Center, under National Phytopharma joint-stock company lacks about 20 acres of land to plant Crinum latifolium L. ‘Soon we will go to some communes of Long Thanh district to hire land of farmers for planting Crinum latifolium L. So that there will be sufficient Crinum latifolium L. to be extracted into Crila capsule for domestic market. This is a kind of drug extracted from herbs; therefore, we do not accept some orders from Europe. If domestic supply is not enough, we will think about the next steps later’, Dr. Tram said.
According to the intention of the Research Development and Manufacture CRINA Center, in the first phase, from now until mid-2007, the center will find enough arable land to plant Crinum latifolium L. to manufacture medicine for domestic consumption. In the second phase, they will find about 100 acres to plant Crinum latifolium L. for export demand. According to the assessment of scientists, the cultivation of medicinal plants is also an agricultural development that has been done all over the world. Such growing regions are credited to be clan farms. Dr. Tram added that the reason why the center has to hire this land and farmers as workers is that medicinal plants have to be managed very strictly and pesticides or chemical fertilizers are totally unused. If being implemented under the plan of the financial investment and purchasing products like some other agricultural goods, the quality of products cannot be managed.
Speaking of the economic efficiency of the development of Crinum latifolium L. in agricultural production, Dr. Tram said that farmers planting Crinum latifolium L. have more profit and stable income than planting other crops. Currently, the herbal farm of National Phytopharma joint-stock company has to hire up to 60 employees with salary over one mil/month/person. It is calculated that each acre needs five workers to take care of Crinum latifolium L. Workers completely follow eight-to-five working hour. Moreover, they are not worried about bad harvest as well as not exposed to toxic chemicals.
Knowing the information that the Research Development and Manufacture CRINA Center is in need of land to plant Crinum latifolium L., a cooperative of Ba Ria Vung Tau Province contacted with the center to offer a cooperation in planting Crinum latifolium L. However, the center still hesitates because of later conditions as well as plans, in which a factory will be built in Nhon Trach Industrial Zone. Therefore, the development of Crinum latifolium L. growing region in Long Thanh district is being paid the most attention to.