Bent Creek Institute | NC RISING Reporter's Notes

When you think about germs—you usually think about the “bugs” that make us sick. At the Bent Creek Institute germs are all about seeds—as in “germination”. The Medicinal Plant Germplasm Repository is a special place. It’s the only one of its kind in North America. Asheville is a natural choice—pun intended—because of the richness of western North Carolina’s flora. Certainly Native Americans like the Cherokee have had a long standing appreciation of what Mother Nature offers. Many native plants have been used for centuries to treat a variety of maladies, everything from colds to menopausal hot flashes.

The Germplasm serves as a place to conserve native plant species but it’s not just a library. Bent Creek Institute (BCI) identifies and provides research grade botanical samples and extracts to researchers around the world. BCI is also helping entrepreneurs in new product development. The three major economic development and job creation goals of Bent Creek include:

· Catalyzing new natural product and botanical medicine businesses
· Producing new intellectual property leading to alternative crops and business innovation
· Attracting new business investment and company location to Western North Carolina

Unlocking the secrets of North Carolina’s biodiversity has the potential for use in alternative and complementary medical treatment of human disease. It also has the potential to tap into the growing $200 billion dollar natural products industry. For farmers it could mean new crops to grow. For entrepreneurs it could mean business and manufacturing opportunities and the creation of new jobs.

--Christine Rogers, Producer