Can peony roots open up a Chinese medicine market in Tasmania?

The core of Celia van Sprang's research is centred around whether peony roots produced in Tasmania are comparable in quality to those produced in China.

In TCM, the peony root has many medicinal uses, such as maintaining circulatory health and as an anti-inflammatory.

It is used in two main forms; one is red peony root, where the root is sliced and dried and the bark of the root remains intact.

The other is white peony root, where the root is boiled, the bark is removed, and the root is dried.

Ms van Sprang said the initial studies were positive.

"Peony roots are the primary plant part used in TCM where the key bioactive, paeoniflorin, is produced," Ms van Sprang said.

"The main indication of root quality is the paeoniflorin content.

"We have done some preliminary studies of a limited number of varieties from five commercial growers in Tasmania and Victoria, and the results show there is potential for producing peony roots for TCM in Australia."

Professor of agriculture at the TIA, Dugald Close, said there was "a lot of potential" for a marketplace for the herb in Tasmania.

"We would need to do a lot more work to be positioned to export," Mr Close said.

"We would need to receive a licence; the Chinese have a state authority for TCM and I don't believe there's been any other international country that's done the work and attempted to get licensed to produce and process product for their medicinal herb market.

"This product has been around for a long time and is very widely used, so there's great potential."

TIA director Michael Rose said the results of the research would be valuable for the Tasmanian agriculture industry.

"We already know that peonies grow well in Tasmania for cut flowers and this work will help us determine whether they could also be grown for the TCM market," Mr Rose said.

"If so, this could potentially open up a new market for Tasmanian producers bringing with it significant economic benefits for agriculture in this state."

Ms van Sprang said new trials were established earlier this year in locations across Northern Tasmania.