Botanical Research Program

An affiliated initiative of the Clinical Nutrition Research Unit at Washington University

silver fir illustration from Kohler's "Medizinal Pflanzen" courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden

Plants provide essential components for human nutrition and the actual compounds or molecular models that form most medicines. Plants are also a source of phytochemicals with health promoting activities. These plant natural products can function to prevent and/or treat chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, and other degenerative diseases. However, only a small fraction of the 250,000 or more known plant species has been evaluated for possible healthful effects. The potential importance of botanical therapy has been recognized by the NIH, specifically the Office of Dietary Supplements and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The CNRU is supporting the development of a Botanical Research Program (BRP) at Washington University to evaluate the effectiveness and mechanisms of botanicals in the prevention and therapy of chronic diseases. This program will combine the resources and expertise of four leading institutions in St. Louis: Washington University School of Medicine, the Washington University Plant Biology Program, the Donald Danforth Plant Sciences Center (DDPSC), and the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG). The DDPSC is an independent, not-for-profit research institute with a focus on plants for human health and nutrition. The MBG is one of the world’s pre-eminent centers for botanical research, and has considerable expertise in collecting and supplying plant material, ensuring that raw materials for research are accurately identified and adequately characterized.

ginkgo biloba photograph courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Garden

Investigators examining botanicals for the prevention and therapy of chronic diseases will have access to CNRU Core Laboratories and the Pilot and Feasibility Program.