Articles
GENETIC RESOURCES IN MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS: THEIR CONSERVATION AND USE
Article number
330_1
Pages
21 – 38
Language
Abstract
Medicinal and aromatic plants constitute an important group among the economic plants.
They have been used since ancient times.
Countries such as China and India have old tradition of plant remedies dating back to 5000–4000 B.C. (Ramachandran and Mehtani, 1990 a&b). The traditional systems of medicine have a heritage of community acceptance (Ayensu, 1986), and the experience and knowledge of local herbalists who utilize an enormous diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, is much sought after and patronized.
The use of local flora for plant-cures is in fact inherent in the rural societies.
However, only a limited number of medicinal plants is being cultivated.
Generally, the crude plant material is collected from the wild habitats to meet the growing needs of the rural and sometimes urban sector, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Actually there are 121 plant donated prescription drugs (Farnsworth and Soejarto, 1988). They resulted from the study of about 35,000 species, of the immense reservoir of an estimated 300,000 to 750,000 plant species in the world, of which only about 5,000 were thoroughly examined (Kloppenburg, 1990) yielding 41 species that now generates commercial scales in the developed world worth US$ 40 billion a year (Myers, 1983).
They have been used since ancient times.
Countries such as China and India have old tradition of plant remedies dating back to 5000–4000 B.C. (Ramachandran and Mehtani, 1990 a&b). The traditional systems of medicine have a heritage of community acceptance (Ayensu, 1986), and the experience and knowledge of local herbalists who utilize an enormous diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, is much sought after and patronized.
The use of local flora for plant-cures is in fact inherent in the rural societies.
However, only a limited number of medicinal plants is being cultivated.
Generally, the crude plant material is collected from the wild habitats to meet the growing needs of the rural and sometimes urban sector, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Actually there are 121 plant donated prescription drugs (Farnsworth and Soejarto, 1988). They resulted from the study of about 35,000 species, of the immense reservoir of an estimated 300,000 to 750,000 plant species in the world, of which only about 5,000 were thoroughly examined (Kloppenburg, 1990) yielding 41 species that now generates commercial scales in the developed world worth US$ 40 billion a year (Myers, 1983).
This paper presents in brief, activities in plant genetic resources (PGR) relevant to medicinal and aromatic plants.
The objectives of IBPGR are highlighted.
It is asserted that published information exists on different facets of PGR activities in crop plants and their wild relatives, and this know-how can be judiciously applied to conservation and use of medicinal and aromatic plants as well.
Suggestions for future work are given so as to promote and coordinate PGR activities in medicinal and aromatic plants.
Authors
R.K. Arora, J.M.M. Engels
Keywords
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