‘Corporation,’ by Matt Niemi [flickr.com/niemster]. License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
To be fair, corporatization can help broaden the market and access to herbs—through economies of scale, added distribution chains, and deeper advert coffers. However, it can also sacrifice quality and safety for the sake of profit.
Prior to the recent acquisition of a Chinese herbal medicine company by a public vitamin firm, there was already one public TCM company (Eu Yang Sang), located in Singapore. That company has traded on the Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) since 2000. The vitamin firm is traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
- Update: Eu Yang Sang was, twice, a public company. It is currently private.
- Update: Shares of the vitamin firm, Blackmores, are no longer publicly traded on the ASX.
This is not to discredit those companies (for I have not extensively researched them), but to be vigilant of issues related to the safety, quality and authenticity of herbal products at the bottom line of a corporate venture.
Carl is a former engineer who applies rational thought to the often subjective nature of traditional healing. He practices acupuncture in San Diego, CA.