2007 Finalist Projects

HERBAL HEALING

Sa Pa Essentials (SPE) - VIETNAM

The mountainous region of Sa Pa in northern Vietnam is an invaluable storehouse of medicinal plants - many of which have been used for centuries by the local population.

Sa Pa Essentials was established to protect these species from the increasing threat of over-harvesting - while at the same time boosting incomes and improving lives within the community.

Having identified active ingredients through traditional knowledge as well as scientific testing, Sa Pa Essentials encourages sustainable cultivation of the medicinal species.

It then extracts, processes and markets essential oils from the plants, ensuring at every stage that the communitie's intellectual property rights are respected.

For further information click here: http://www.sapaessentials.com/