The value of artichoke in healthcare.

Artichokes contain large amounts of catechin, an antioxidant that helps prevent tumor formation and treat cancer.

At the seminar "Applications of herbal medicine in clinical medical treatment" organized by Tue Tinh Hospital and Lam Dong Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company (Ladophar) on July 19th, the potential of products for treating and supporting the treatment of diseases from artichoke plants was mentioned by many medical experts.

Delegates attending the workshop " Applications of herbal medicine in clinical medical treatment" .

Artichoke, scientifically known as Cynara scolumus, is a thorny plant that was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans in the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe.

This tree species was brought to Vietnam by the French in the early 10th century, first planted in Sa Pa (Lao Cai), and later most widely cultivated in Da Lat ( Lam Dong ).

This European artichoke thrives in temperate climates and grows best in cool, high-altitude mountainous regions like Da Lat.

Da Lat has over 100 hectares of land dedicated to artichoke cultivation. A large portion of this area is cultivated and purchased by Lam Dong Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company (Ladophar).

Ladophar is collaborating with Lac Duong district to plant approximately 500 hectares of this crop through cooperative arrangements including seedling transfer, planting technology, and guaranteed output purchase.

According to Mr. Le Tien Thinh, General Director of Ladophar, the effort to expand the area for growing artichokes is a reasonable strategy for the company because the demand for raw materials from this plant is increasing. Artichokes are not only an ingredient for Vietnam's specialty tea bags, but are also considered a valuable source of medicinal herbs.

All parts of the artichoke plant, from the stem and roots to the flowers and leaves, have medicinal value, especially the flowers and leaves. Both the flowers and leaves contain cynarin and silymarin, substances that help stimulate bile secretion and support the liver in detoxifying the body.

Furthermore, artichokes contain large amounts of catechin, an antioxidant that can help prevent tumor formation and treat cancer.

Given these characteristics, artichokes have the potential to open up many more opportunities than simply producing a specialty tea that is commonly consumed daily by people in Da Lat.

Firstly, large-scale artichoke extract can provide both domestic and international markets with a valuable health ingredient.

Currently, only artichokes from Da Lat have the required standard cynarin content, so Japanese, Korean, and Chinese businesses are coming to Da Lat to purchase this product from companies capable of directly extracting it using modern technology.

Currently, many individual households also harvest and process artichokes manually, but the resulting products are not of sufficient quality. Developing this as a key product of the province requires large pharmaceutical companies like Ladophar to own raw material areas that meet international GACP-WHO standards for processing and production.

International studies have consistently shown the remarkable liver-protective effects of artichoke . The plant's compounds help eliminate toxins, prevent lipid peroxidation occurring in the cell membranes of liver tissues, significantly reduce oxidative damage to liver cell membranes, and decrease the level of fatty liver disease.

Mr. Le Tien Thinh (on the left) discusses the potential of artichokes with the leaders of Tue Tinh Hospital.

Artichoke extracts can prevent toxic effects on the liver and reduce liver enzymes in 84.29% of patients. Artichoke has also been shown to be effective in many common diseases.

Studies on diabetic mice showed that artichoke extract significantly reduced blood glucose levels by 42.84% after 28 days of treatment. Animal studies also showed that artichoke increases nitric oxide production, contributing to a reduction in atherosclerosis.

Cynarin in artichokes stimulates bile production, aiding in the digestion of fats and the absorption of vitamins from food. Studies have shown that artichoke leaf extract is beneficial for people with irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, or abdominal pain.

In particular, many other polyphenol antioxidants found in artichokes may contribute to the prevention and control of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia.

Given its medicinal properties, several major pharmaceutical companies are now using artichoke extract to produce dietary supplements and medicines.

Ladophar combines artichoke with many other medicinal herbs such as Codonopsis pilosula, Phyllanthus niruri, Eucommia ulmoides, Ganoderma lucidum, Epimedium grandiflorum, red ginseng, Andrographis paniculata, Centella asiatica, Ginkgo biloba, and various vitamins to create the best effect for liver detoxification and health enhancement.

This approach is particularly beneficial for health, especially in helping to reduce liver-related diseases among Vietnamese people, one of the countries with the highest alcohol consumption in the world today.

The company's next development direction is to develop artichoke growing areas combined with tourism as a specialty of Da Lat. Tourists can visit the artichoke growing areas, and directly experience harvesting the herbs to make herbal tea.

Tourism in Da Lat has now developed strongly in the direction of visiting flower gardens, rose gardens, and vegetable gardens, while there is still room for artichokes , a characteristic plant of Da Lat and a specialty of the region.

The value of Da Lat lies in many aspects of its unique history, nature, and culture, among which the artichoke has played a significant role for decades. Developing cultivation areas and processing products from this distinctive crop will contribute to boosting tourism in Da Lat and bring high economic benefits.

Speaking to reporters about the potential of this product in healthcare and the company's future trends, Mr. Thinh said that, on the threshold of integration, developing green, clean, and environmentally friendly products is an inevitable trend for long-term success.

In particular, to access international markets with stringent product quality requirements, we recognize the need to apply high technical standards right from the initial stages of cultivation. Therefore, Lam Dong Pharmaceutical has been actively expanding its raw material areas to meet GACP organic standards, ensuring they are green, clean, and environmentally friendly.

To address the input challenges, Ladophar has collaborated with local authorities and specialized agencies in developing clean raw material areas and guiding farmers towards new, safe, and sustainable farming methods.

The company also signs contracts to purchase raw materials from households in the area. The company provides farmers with seeds, a list of recommended pesticides, and guidance on how to use them, avoiding overuse, and the required waiting period before harvesting.

In addition, the company's team of technicians regularly conducts on-site inspections of the raw material gardens. Before harvesting, we take samples for testing and only harvest artichoke raw materials that meet standards and are processed within 24 hours to ensure the best quality and Cynarin content. If any raw material area has high levels of pesticides, it will be left for further isolation.

Thanks to ensuring the quality of raw materials and strictly adhering to production standards, Lam Dong Pharmaceutical confidently commits to the quality of its products and has had 2 products out of a total of 42 products achieve national-level OCOP 5-star rating.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/gia-tri-cua-cay-atiso-trong-cham-soc-suc-khoa-d220393.html