Global demand for herbal remedies is threatening natural habitats, putting up to a fifth of wild medicinal plant species at risk of extinction, a leading scientific journal says.
A study to be published later this year by conservation group WWF warns that between 4,000 and 10,000 plants may be at risk.
In an article published Wednesday in the journal New Scientist, study author Alan Hamilton said the market for herbal remedies in North America has increased by 10% per year over the past decade. In Europe it had become an industry.At least $20 billion.
The findings are based on an analysis of the number of species on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Plants.
Two-thirds of the 50,000 medicinal plants used are collected from the wild.
Mr Hamilton, a member of IUCN’s Medicinal Plant Specialist Group, also contributed to a report to be published in mid-January by conservation organization PlantLife International.
species under threat
Among the endangered plants is the tetu raka, a tree found in southern India and Sri Lanka and used in Europe as an anti-cancer drug. An Indian root called yarrow was used for skin ailments, and a Chinese plant called yarrow was used. Treat respiratory infections.
“With demand and commercialization rapidly expanding, the future of the wild plants that have served most of humanity for centuries is more uncertain than ever,” Plant Life’s Martin Harper told New Scientist magazine.
The group claims the problem has been looming for years and blames the herbal medicine industry for failing to ensure the sustainability of supply.
“It is time for the industry to work with environmental organizations to ensure herb harvests have a sustainable future,” Harper added.
Global demand for herbal remedies is threatening natural habitats, putting up to a fifth of wild medicinal plant species at risk of extinction and being harvested and endangered, a leading expert says. The scientific journal published it on Wednesday.
