Philippine herbal industry: Let’s make it a reality

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Board of Investments (BoI), has identified the natural health products (NHP) and herbal medicine industry as a strategic priority for promotion and development. According to BoI Acting Director Francis Peñaflor and Investment Specialists Morinaella Torgo and Winsor Gaudario, it is the goal to position the Philippines as a Southeast Asian hub for natural health products representing a significant opportunity for the country.

The Philippines has rich biodiversity and a long-standing tradition of herbal medicine, with former Secretary of Health Juan Flavier and Jaime Galvez Tan as long time advocates. However, several challenges remain, such as low production capacity, inconsistent quality, and the lack of standardized practices, among others.

To strengthen the herbal raw material supply chain, in December 2025, the DTI–BoI, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) led by Romer Penamora, organized a three-day pilot training program in Flors Garden called “Strengthening the Raw Material Supply for Local Herbal Medicine Manufacturers through Gender-Responsive Capacity Building.” The program focused on farm and community-level interventions that connect farmers to science, industry, and markets.

Participants learned about the Department of Health’s approved medicinal plants, including their benefits, preparation methods such as teas, decoctions, ointments, tinctures, and syrups as presented by the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Herbal Medicine. The 10 medicinal plants endorsed by the Department of Health include:

• akapulko – for fungal skin infections;

• ampalaya – helps manage diabetes;

• garlic (bawang) – reduces cholesterol and high blood pressure (native varieties preferred);

• guava (bayabas) – antiseptic for cleaning wounds;

• lagundi – provides relief for asthma and cough;

• niyog-niyogan – dried seeds used to treat intestinal worms;

• pansit-pansitan – used against gout and arthritis;

• sambong – acts as a diuretic (according to Lemuel Lee, there is only one variety of sambong in the Philippines and considered the potent in the world);

• tsaang gubat – treats intestinal motility issues and can be used as a mouthwash; and

• yerba buena – analgesic for body aches and pain.

Dr. Cecilia Maramba-Lazarte of the UP Insitute of Herbal Medicine emphasized that herbal remedies are effective with minimal to no side effects when used properly. Do you know that there are many more plants, some weeds and edible flowers, that are part of the Weedibles and Weedicinals book published by DA-ATI? These included oregano, botonesa-botonesan, tawa-tawa, sampaluk-sampalukan, and blue tarnate, among others.

On March 9, ATI’s Romer and BoI’s Winsor convened a follow-up meeting to discuss a sustainable supply chain for herbal raw materials using the Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach framework. The objective was to organize farmers into clusters of five to 15 members and identify training needs that would strengthen production and supply reliability.

With the presence of Marco Llagas, president of RIZAL Organics or ROADSS, the key step of clustering farmer groups was facilitated.  Also present were Engineer Jude Ancheta of the Antipolo Agriculture Office, Dr. Abraham Pascual of Pascual Laboratories/Leony Farms (my fellow trustee at Tulay sa Pag-unlad, a microfinance NGO), Herbal Essentials for Advocacy and Livelihood Sustenance CEO Jeshua Lemuel Lee, Chairman Joseph Lee, and consultant Lisa Lacson, member of the Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines. Other participants included Gil Castro, Charlie Evangelista, Ismael Lazaro, and representatives from Flor’s Garden, Edmin and Ted Tarriela with Fely Sadio.

An engaged and productive discussion followed. Some ideas which emerged were the following:

• increase public awareness about the effectiveness and safety of herbal products (a big help especially  in areas where health services not easily accessible) and the government’s goal of making the Philippines a regional leader in natural health products (when I mentioned this to Land Bank of the Philippines President Lynette Ortiz and former DA Undersecretary Evelyn La Vina, a pharmacist and plant enthusiast, they were both very supportive);

• establish clear standards for planting, harvesting, drying, and processing for herbal (schedule farm visit to Leony Farms in Nueva Ecija/be a member of Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries);

• continuous training and capacity building among farmers (conduct one for ROADSS immediately and nearby farming communities);

• should there be a herbal plants section within the Department of Agriculture under high-value crops?;

• is there a need to evaluate herbal products classification as “supplements” rather than “medicines” or to reconsider labeling requirements such as “no therapeutic claims”?; and

• explore government support for drying facilities and planting materials, among others.

The country’s rich biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and growing market demand create a unique opportunity to position the Philippines as the natural health products hub in Southeast Asia. No Filipino should be hungry. Let’s all have strong immunity. Let’s make this potential a reality!

The views expressed herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of her office as well as FINEX.

Flor G. Tarriela was formerly chairman of Philippine National Bank. She is a gardener environmentalist and founded Flor’s Garden in Antipolo.