history

The history of PKZ goes back to the interwar period.

In 1926 in Vilnius the Society of Supporting the Production of Herbal Plants was founded. Since its beginning it had three main goals, namely: coordination of harvests from the natural state, trade of raw herbal materials, and support of the development of herbal plantations. The Society was disbanded once the Polish Herbal Committee was founded.

history

The history of PKZ goes back to the interwar period.

In 1926 in Vilnius the Society of Supporting the Production of Herbal Plants was founded. Since its beginning it had three main goals, namely: coordination of harvests from the natural state, trade of raw herbal materials, and support of the development of herbal plantations. The Society was disbanded once the Polish Herbal Committee was founded.

1929-1939

UTWORZENIE POLSKIEGO
KOMITET ZIELARSKIEGO

In 1929 in Warsaw, the Committee of Producers of Herbal and Industrial Plants was founded. As a result of its activity, the first professional centres for the cultivation of herbal plants in Poland were established. During the same year, on the initiative of the current Minister of Industry and Trade, a conference was organised in Warsaw with the goal of bringing togetherthe Polish herbal community. Following the discussions held by representatives of various councils and herbal plant companies, a decision was made to found a new organisation. The organisation would “represent the interests of the national herbal industry andbe a coordinator of the Polish herbal economy”. This provided the foundation for establishing the Polish Herbal Committee in 1930.

The main goals of PKZ at the time were to create plantations of medicinal plants, to carry out experimental research studies looking at the acclimatisation of the plants, to inspire new research studies in the scientific field of medicinal plants, to coordinate a turnover of herbs, and to train instructors of herbal practice. PKZ played an important role in shaping Polish herbal practice and medicine during the interwar period.

On the 7th January 1993, during the first Congress of the Polish Herbal Committee in Warsaw, the work of the organisation resumed. The following goals were agreed upon: representing the interests of everyone involved in herbal practice, supporting scientific research, and technological advancement of herbal practice. The work agenda of the reactivated PKZ was based on the socio-professional traditions of herbal organisations which operated in Poland during the interwar period.

1993

REAKCTYWACJA
POLSKIEGO KOMITETU
ZIELARSKIEGO

The first term (1993-1997) after PKZ’s reactivation was focused on problems related to the wholesale and retail turnover of herbal products. Herbal shops were able to open in Poland thanks to the efforts of PKZ.

1993-1997

PIERWSZA KADENCJA

During the third term (2001-2005), the herbal practice environment considered the problems around the cultivation of herbs to be the most important. As Poland entered the European Union, an urgent need arose to providethe herbal plant growerswith training covering the scope of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and modern cultivation of medicinal plants.

2001-2005

2005-present

Over the next few terms, a lot of work was undertaken to support further development of herbal practice and medicine in Poland. PKZ started working closely with numerous institutions and organisations that share the focus of PKZ’s activity. Since 2013, PKZ’s members have been represented in two Expert Groups of the European Pharmacopoeia as well as in the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) since 2011.

Nowadays, the main tasks of PKZ include shaping views regarding contemporary herbal practice and medicine as well as promoting Polish herbal products in Europe.