It is partly our fault. Pressure from patients, anxious to leave the surgery with a prescription to beat what can feel like a never-ending sniffle or sore throat, is a big part of the problem, even though there’s little or no evidence that antibiotics have any impact on the length or severity of respiratory infections. The busier a GP’s practice is, research shows, the more likely they are to prescribe antibiotics inappropriately. Big pharma problems At Pukka our values are much more than good ideas that inspire us. They are ways of working that help us be pukka in everything we do. We apply values to our work at Pukka to create energy, inspiration, better results and satisfaction for ourselves and others.

Increases numbers of antibodies and enhances the specific as well as the non-specific immune response We have developed growing methods to increase active compounds in some species by 300%. For example, in andrographis paniculata – the renowned herbal immune activator for upper respiratory tract infections – increasing the andrographolide content from 1% to 5%; or the remarkable carminative and anti-spasmodic ‘anethole’ in sweet fennel seed essential oil from 0.9% to 85% of the total oil. Wanting to avoid falling into the category described by the 2002 World Health Organization (WHO) strategy declaration, ‘finished products to which chemically defined active substances have been added, including isolated constituents from herbal materials, are not considered to be herbal’, we have also developed special extracts that concentrate the active phytochemicals while retaining the fingerprint profile of the whole plant. And with “big pharma” having a monopoly on the development of new drugs, there’s little hope that this will change.Yes, the need for new antibiotics is huge, but it makes more financial sense for the pharmaceutical industry to develop new drugs that will be widely used for decades such as heart or diabetes drugs,” he says. What’s the evidence? Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which means it cannot be stored in the body and we must take it from dietary sources. It is an antioxidant, which can help to neutralise free radicals in the body and contributes to the protection if cells against oxidative stress. Vitamin C also contributes to the normal function of the immune system, natural energy-yielding metabolism and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

So what’s behind this interest in traditional remedies that have been dismissed by mainstream medicine until now? Through making organic Ayurvedic creations we could bring some value to threatened forests. By paying farmers and collectors above market prices for the herbs we use at Pukka we could help protect dwindling ecosystems. By making organic farming practices worth more than soil- destroying conventional methods we could incentivise conservation of the Earth. Commerce could lead to conservation.An ongoing trial among NHS family doctors, due to report later this year, is testing andrographis to see if both patients and doctors regard it as an acceptable alternative to antibiotics. If the findings are positive, the next step will be “a well-designed trial in the UK to evaluate the effectiveness, efficacy and safety to confirm these findings”, explains Michael Moore, professor of primary care and population science at the University of Southampton where the research is being carried out. Dr Hu is optimistic about the contribution of herbal medicine to healthcare. “Integrative medicine, bringing together conventional, complementary and alternative interventions, is the optimum treatment as well as being evidence-based, effective, safe and low cost,” she says. With a degree in Hindi, followed by a decade of studying the traditional medicine systems of Ayurveda, Chinese and Western herbalism – as well as the organic farming experience I gained to fund my studies – my path ahead was clear: to do my best to promote the benefits of herbs and natural medicine. As well as practicing in clinic, I knew that one of the best ways to achieve this would be to set up a business that would champion herbal medicine and the healing power of plants.

Acute infections such as: colds. flu. fever. sore throats. Parasitic and bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Alma takes it as a tincture, prescribed by an Ayurvedic practitioner, whenever she feels she’s about to get a cough or a sore throat. “It is certainly bitter. I’d never put it in whisky, it would ruin a good malt. But I can swallow it in a warm honey drink or in fruit juice.” We recently joined with Unilever to help us expand and grow. Their commitment to finding a sustainable way for business to bring positive impact throughout their network is sorely needed in leading the way for big business to take the responsibility for their actions and impacts. With 300 to 500 businesses controlling 70% of global trade – feeding and clothing the 7 billion of us – influencing the behaviour of these giants offers us the greatest opportunity for the positive change we urgently need to promote more regenerative business practices. As most of the world gets behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it’s a once in history chance to coordinate social change through responsible government and business. There is a crisis over which the public have no control, however: the fact that the pharmaceutical industry has produced no new classes of antibiotics, to replace medicines that no longer work, since the 1980s. Pukka Herbs’ andrographis supplement (Photo: Pukka)

How can we reduce use of antibiotics?

With its goals of healing, it emphasises an individualised holistic approach, self-management and the practitioner-patient relationship with multi-disciplinary collaborative teams.” We have identified these values as four ‘wisdom seeds’ drawn from ancient Asian systems of religion, philosophy and medicine that are still alive and flourishing today. In fact, these values are so important they are the foundation of the longest thriving social and medical institutions in the world; the Buddhist Sangha and Ayurvedic medicine. Proven use in treating influenza, upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat and parasitic infections in the gastro-intestinal tract. Sambucol liquids contain preservatives to help stabilise the products and to prevent microbial growth and undesirable taste/ flavour. The threat of antimicrobial resistance is “a silent tsunami”, Haileyesus Getahun, the director of the UN’s Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, said in April. “We don’t see the effects of it yet, but what is coming will be a catastrophe,” he added. Arguing that the problem could be averted through public education, he added: “We are calling for people to come together.”

When we started Pukka Herbs, we knew – well we hoped – that we were going to create something special; Tim and I were both utterly passionate about bringing plants and people together and we set off with the inspiring tailwind of Ayurveda behind us. We really wanted to be a part of the positive change that was at the heart of the organic health community and so we dived in, head first. And, wow, what a welcome we have received!Ms Kriese says the trial might be even more effective if GPs were given a basic training in traditional herbal remedies. Whether that happens remains to be seen. Truth is the essence of who we are, the root from which we emanate; respect is how we relate to each other, the vine that weaves throughout everything; purity is about knowing the heart of the matter, it’s the flowering of our heart; and effort is the fruit that we reap from our inspiring and purposeful activities. Connecting people and plants There is a litany of regulations with which any company selling foods, food supplements and/or herbal medicines must comply (eg Food Supplements Directive (2002/46/EC), Novel Foods Regulation (258.97), Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (No. 2006/1924), Human Medicinal Products Directive (2004/27/EC) and the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD) (2004/24/EC). While being instinctively cautious of over- regulation, we have always respected the need for regulation to make sure that companies sell the correct species, appropriately quality controlled, labelled with safe dosage and without unsubstantiated claims. The World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organisation, included a chapter on traditional medicine last month in its influential global compendium for the first time. With the British public spending millions of pounds every year on herbal remedies, Alma’s experience might seem less than newsworthy. What’s different about andrographis is that it could be about to become an alternative to antibiotics in UK medical general practices. Andrographis paniculata (Photo: Wikipedia Creative Commons) Research and trials