Welcome to this month’s Tech Talk with OptimalRx as Julianne and Kristin talk with Phil Rasmussen about the crucial topic of Supporting Sustainability in Herbal Medicine.  Join Phil as he discusses the importance of ethical and sustainable phytomedicine making and prescribing.  Phil explores our human relationship with our environment and the interrelated effect of not just over-harvesting, but bush fires, bees, floods and much more on the availability of our herbs.  You’ll hear about the differences between wildcrafted and cultivated plants in regard to growing, harvesting and sustainability issues, as well as specific herbal medicine examples.  Phil also talks about possible substitutions for some of our favourite herbs at risk of becoming endangered and the options and resources available for practitioners.  This podcast is a must listen for herb lovers who are passionate about ensuring a sustainable future for herbal medicine. 

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Phil has practiced as a phytotherapist in Auckland for 27 years.   He is also the founder and R&D Manager of Phytomed, a manufacturer producing herbal extracts for practitioners in New Zealand and Australia, and the Kiwiherb range of herbal products.  Phil has written and presented extensively on a wide range herbal subjects for practitioner, consumer and industry audiences, is a founding director of the New Zealand industry body Natural Health Products New Zealand, an Honorary Lecturer in Pharmacy at the University of Auckland, and is currently the President of the New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalists. 

Phil has always held a keen interest in plants, and the many ways in which to make them into efficacious medicines.  He is a keen advocate for the incorporation of native and more local plants into the materia medica of practitioners in Australia and New Zealand, and for the statutory regulation of medical herbalists and naturopaths.  Before pursuing herbal medicine he undertook research on antidepressant drugs and serotonin and worked for more than 10 years as a pharmacist. 
- Phil Rasmussen  M.Pharm., M.P.S., Dip. Herb. Med.; M.N.I.M.H.(UK),  M.N.H.A.A; F.N.Z.A.M.H. 

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