From goji berries to pomegranates, the latest trends in healthy foods often appear to have two requirements: to be natural and to be exotic. Scotland's boggy moorland may fall short of the exotic, but it is producing some of the trendy natural health foods of the future. Home-grown plants from Scotland's woodlands and moorlands are increasingly appreciated for their health benefits. The recent launch of a new range of Boots Botanics skincare products containing bog myrtle, which thrives in the Highlands, is just the beginning of a new wave of investment in native Scottish plants with potential cosmetic and medicinal benefits.
This comes at a time of increased demand from consumers for natural ingredients over synthetic ones, and Scotland is set to capitalise on the economic benefits this will bring. Whether a plant is wild and harvested on a small-scale, or commercially cultivated, jobs are likely to be created, from harvesting through processing to production.
Here is our rundown of some of the top Scottish "superplants" that are paving the way for a new, sustainable industry in native flora.
Sea Buckthorn
What is it?
Sea Buckthorn, or hippophae rhamnoides, is a thorny deciduous shrub around one to three metres tall. It flowers in spring and produces large, round orange berries in autumn. These berries contain several lipids, vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, minerals and aromatic compounds.
Where does it come from?
The plant is indigenous to the Himalayas and Siberia, but has spread to coastal and mountainous areas of Europe. In Scotland, it has colonised areas of East Lothian, from Musselburgh to Berwick, and the Moray coastline, mainly around Findhorn Bay.
What are its benefits?
Sea buckthorn has been used in Chinese and Russian medicine for many years and has recently come to the attention of researchers in Europe. Cosmetic skin products containing sea buckthorn are available from environmentally-conscious manufacturers including Weleda and Dr Hauschka. Yet research carried out in Finland and published by the British Nutrition Foundation has suggested it can improve the symptoms of atopic dermatitis when taken as a dietary supplement. Preliminary clinical trials suggest that sea buckthorn could have a positive effect on blood counts. Its high vitamin C content means that it could be eaten as a health food, although the variety growing in Scotland produces berries that are too astringent to be eaten raw. It may also have a use in increasing the lustre of human hair.
What is happening in Scotland?
The Food Innovation Institute (F2i) in Morayshire is leading the research into sea buckthorn.
David Miskin, its director, says: "We're researching the optimal growing conditions for sea buckthorn cultivars. This includes the soil type, shade, drainage and other environmental factors that may affect berry yield and quality."
The institute is also examining the best way to harvest the berries. Once the ideal growing conditions and harvesting method are determined, F2i will focus on commercial food and cosmetic uses for the berries.
Four Scottish shrubs are thriving thanks to their cosmetic and medicinal benefits.
Blaeberry
What is it?
The Scottish blueberry, or vacc- inium myrtillus, is a low-growing perennial shrub producing dark blue berries with a grey tinge when ripe.
Where is it found?
In moist, acidic and often hilly areas of Scotland, though it can grow on sites from sea-level to 1250m above. It is abundant in the Highlands, particularly in the birchwoods and pinewoods of the Caledonian forest. A well-known site in the south of Scotland is "blaeberry hill" near Eskdalemuir in the uplands of Dumfries and Galloway, where blaeberries used to be collected for market.
What are its benefits?
Blaeberries are high in antioxidant constituents known as anthocyanins, which are the pigments that give flowers and berries their red, purple, blue or black colours. Antioxidants mop-up free radicals, or cellular atoms with an odd number of electrons, which can damage cells. Free radicals may be implicated in a number of conditions including hardened arteries, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Blaeberries and wild blueberries (vaccinium angustifolium) from Canada have the highest antioxidant capacity of all blueberries. Blaeberries were traditionally thought to improve eyesight and night vision. However, clinical tests on young people have so far found no evidence of this. Tests on older people with poor eyesight or problems such as diabetic retinopathy will follow. Pre-clinical trials have shown that extract of blaeberry can reduce inflammation, help in wound-healing and improve the tone of the arterial walls. In some cases, they have been shown to have an anti-ulcer effect, while blaeberry leaves have been shown to help regulate insulin and lower cholesterol. Recent tests on animal and human cancer cells have suggested that blaeberry may inhibit their growth.
What is happening in Scotland?
The harvesting and cultivation of blaeberries is in its infancy in Scotland, but it's a project that medical herbalist Heather Griggs intends to pursue while researching a PhD on the topic. "It would have benefits for food and drink, rural enterprise and medical research in Scotland," she says. "At the moment, the largest obstacles to this are a lack of harvesting infrastructure and processing equipment. We need to link industry, forestry, agriculture and academia to develop a forest-based cropping system, with harvesting and processing machines. Other similar projects, such as Highland Natural Products' bog myrtle project, have taken a decade of research, development and substantial funding. I hope to take it one step at a time, while trying to work with local and Scottish companies to begin the long research and development process."
Bog myrtle
What is it?
A moorland shrub with dark green waxy and fragrant leaves that favours damp, acidic soil. Also known as sweet gale.
Where does it come from?
Bog myrtle grows naturally in the Highlands of Scotland, but a new partnership between Highland Natural Products (HNP) and Boots will see new areas of cultivated crops. These are expected to increase from 10 hectares in 2009 to 2900 hectares in 2016. Plantation areas may include the Borders, Aberdeenshire and Morayshire.
What are its benefits?
Bog myrtle was selected as a new ingredient in Boots' Botantics range of skincare after five-year trials showed that its essential oil improved blemish-prone skin. It is now included in products including cleansers and moisturisers. Extracts are used in insect repellents for their antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
What is happening in Scotland?
HNP has a long-term plan to initiate commercial production of bog myrtle. "In the short term, sufficient quantities are available from wild-harvested areas," says Richard Constanduros, its managing director. "We'll move away from those to a more sustainable, cultivated crop over the next five years, and we have an exclusive agreement with Boots for cosmetic supply.
The impact on jobs will be significant when we go into production, both in growing the crop and associated activities like tractors doing the harvesting. We'll be looking at its use as an insect repellent in the future, in terms of creating some kind of lotion."
It is estimated that wild harvesting of bog myrtle could involve 40 growers, principally crofters and other landowners, while the demand for cultivated crops could involve up to 150 growers. Bog myrtle plantations could generate more than £2m a year for growers by 2016.
Conifer needle oil
What is it? Oil distilled from the needles of conifer trees including Scots pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir and Sitka spruce. It has a woody aroma.
Where does it come from?
The needles are sourced from felling operations on Forestry Commission land across Scotland.
What are its benefits?
Pine oil is used in aromatherapy to soothe stressed muscles and joints. It has similar properties to eucalyptus and the action of both oils is enhanced when they are blended. It is also used in blends with bergamot, lavender, lemon, rosemary and tea tree oils. It has antibacterial, antiseptic, astringent, decongestant and various anti-fungal properties.
What is happening in Scotland?,br> HNP is working in partnership with the Forestry Commission Scotland to use the brash (clippings) from commercial felling operations to produce the oil. "It's a bit tongue-in-cheek to say the brash is more valuable than the wood, but it does have a significant value which I think foresters don't appreciate," says Constanduros. "One of the attractions is that we know exactly what plantations they come from, so we have the traceability that customers need. Most of the pine fragrances are currently synthetic, so we'd be hoping to produce a natural and higher quality fragrance. There's the possibility of developing household products and toiletries." He believes that needle oil could have significant benefits for local employment.
BETH PEARSON
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.1460834.0.0.php
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