Int'l Herb Expo 2016 in Thailand set Aug 31-Sept 4

BANGKOK, August 16 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Public Health, through the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, will organise the International Herb Expo 2016 in the country during August 31-September 4, a national event in which the world's first-ever herb-coated rice will also be on display. The department's Director-General Dr. Suriya Wongkongkathep told journalists of the information on Tuesday, saying the five-day event, the 13th of its kind, will be held at the IMPACT Trade and Exhibition Centre in Muang Thong Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok. Dr. Suriya noted that a highlight of the event will be the Thai Herbs Metropolis zone jointly hosted by over 30 public and private networks, where premium-graded herbal products in the medication, supplementary nutrition, beverage and cosmetic categories sold on both the domestic and the global markets will be showcased. The senior official revealed that among products in the highlighted zone include herb-coated grains, the first-ever innovative rice in Thailand and the world. According to the senior official, the innovative herb-coated rice is brown fragrant gaba rice coated with different herbs to serve consumers in three groups, including the elderly, teenagers and those in working ages, as well as a specific group of recuperating patients and athletes. "The innovative herb-coated rice is developed based on the concept that the majority of people in Thailand, up to 90 per cent, consume rice and there are a variety of rice strains in the country", said the senior official. Besides, other herbal products developed with the traditional Thai wisdom, as well as other herbal innovations and international business talks will also be showcased and held at the Thai Herbs Metropolis zone. (TNA)