Thailand Supports Herbal Forest Planting to Boost Health Tourism, Create Jobs, and Generate Sustainable Income

The Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote and develop herbal planting areas within conservation zones. The goal is to utilize these herbs for health systems and economic benefits, as well as to develop holistic wellness tourism.

This collaboration has led to several initiatives:

• Research on native herbal species: to conserve and sustainably utilize herbs in conservation areas.
• Development of health tourism sites: leveraging traditional Thai medicine and herbal knowledge to enhance economic value in health.
• Promotion of herbal use in health systems: to supply raw materials for preparing medicines, producing pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and standardized herbal products.

The efforts focus on studying and developing agricultural and collection practices for managing herbs in these areas (Good Agricultural and Collection Practices: GACP). This includes exchanging research data and advancing herbal cultivation and harvesting for medicine preparation, pharmaceutical production, medical supplies, and certified herbal products.

This partnership benefits the country’s health and economic systems by ensuring stable, safe, and standardized raw materials for traditional Thai medicine. It also attracts both domestic and international tourists through the development of holistic health tourism destinations, which boosts local economies and raises awareness of natural resource conservation. Ultimately, it creates jobs, generates income for communities, and drives the country’s long-term economic growth.

For additional information: Thai Government
Link: https://www.thaigov.go.th/