Here are the herbs & fungi we’re watching for the first half of 2024. These are all from TLC Identity failures. For questions on methodologies, contact your Alkemist rep.
Our most failed herb of 2023 was: sambucus nigra! It was on the failure list for the whole year. We had thought this problem was created by the early Covid-related spike in demand and would have worked its way through the supply chain by now, but nope – we’re still seeing a lot of failures. Here’s the entire list:
Althaea officinalis Cinnamomum verum Also on the March list Citrus x aurantium Dioscorea villosa Eleutherococcus senticosus Foeniculum vulgare Hericium erinaceus Also on the September list Huperzia serrata Also on the March list Malus pumila Matricaria recutita Also on the September list Panax ginseng Also on the September list Paullinia cupana Salix sp. Sambucus nigra Also on the March & September list – Year long winner/looser Siraitia grosvenorii Sophora japonica Also on the March list Urtica dioica Also on the September list Vaccinium macrocarpon Vitis vinifera Also on the September list Withania somnifera Also on the September list
Our clients tend to be the best of the best so we don’t see as many failures as other labs might. And keep in mind that this is a representative list of the products our manufacturer clients are testing before they put them into their products and not necessarily a reflection of finished products in the marketplace.