Herbal medicine boom endangers species

The boom in herbal medicine is threatening to wipe out up to a fifth of the plant species on which it depends. Two-thirds of the 50 000 medicinal plants in use are still harvested from the wild and research to be published later in 2004 by Alan Hamilton, a plant specialist from the global environment network, World-Wide Fund for Nature suggests that between 4000 and 10 000 of them may now be endangered. The species under threat are Nothatodytes foetida (tetu lakha), found in south India and Sri Lanka, and used for anticancer drugs in Europe; Saussurea lappa (a saw-wort known as costus or kusta), used for chronic skin disorders; and Fritillaria cirrhosa (tendrilled fritillary) from Sichuan, China, used to treat respiratory infections. The market for Prunus africana (African cherry), the bark of which is popular in Europe as a treatment for prostate enlargement, has collapsed because too many trees have been destroyed. The herbal medicines industry has been accused of doing nothing for a sustainable future of herbal harvests.

New Scientist, 8 January 2004