Good Agriculture & Collection Practices for New vVariety Crinum latifolium L. var. crilae TRAM N.T.N. Enables the First Commercial Scale Production of this Vietnamese Traditional Medicinal Herb.

In 1990 pharmacologist Nguyen T.N. Tram began the first scientific study of the Vietnamese plant Crinum latifolium L to determine if claims from Traditional Vietnamese Medicine were wishful folklore or efficacious fact. Her investigations sought to substantiate Crinum's traditional anti-tumor/anti-cancer use for male and female reproductive organs. Her proprietary Crinum extraction was used in clinical trials studying Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia [1] and Uterine Fibroid tumors [2]. Tram created capacity for scalable commercial production via strictly controlled authentication, and modern practices to ensure safety and quality in a closed vertical process from plantation to factory to consumer.

Tram identified alkaloids and flavonoids [3] to confirm her selection of the correct wild sub-species for cultivation on her organic plantation. Proprietary farming methods are labor intensive. Leaves are harvested by hand from vintage plants and sundried. Expansion to 1,000 hectares is underway. DNA sequence testing [4] confirms a unique marker in Tram's plants, recognized by Vietnam as the new variety Crinum latifolium L. var. crilae TRAM N.T.N. The plantation received Good Agriculture & Collection Practice (GACP) certification to World Health Organization standards in 2011. The herb is extracted in Tram's factory to produce Crila® herbal supplements. The factory received Good Manufacturing Process certification to World Health Organization (GMP-WHO) certification in 2010. Each batch is tested twice for contamination and concentration. First, by the in-factory GLP certified laboratory, and again at the Ministry of Health's Central Drug and Quality Control Institute. In 2012, Tram received Vietnam's highest National Award for science and technology. Acknowledgements: Thanks go to Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram for permission to visit and photograph her plantation in Dong Nai Provice and TDC factory in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. Photography by Duc Do and Jourdan Janssen. References: [1] Clinical Trial on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Vietnam MOH, 2005. [2] Clinical Trial on Uterine Fibroid Tumors, Vietnam MOH, 2007. [3] Tram NTN, et al. (2002) Fitoterapia, 73: 183–208. [4] Dr. Matthew Cimino, Stoney Forensics (2010), Chantilly, VA.