Medicinal plants at risk of extinction

Hundreds of plants used to make medicines are facing extinction, botanists warn.

A report by Botanical Gardens Conservation International, which represents botanic gardens from 120 countries, claims that as many as 400 species are at risk from over-collection and deforestation.

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More than 50 per cent of drugs prescribed by doctors are derived from chemicals first identified in plants.Experts fear that potential cures for diseases such as cancer and HIV may be lost before they can be discovered.
Plants at risk include yew trees, the bark of which is used in the cancer drug paclitaxel; hoodia, which is being used to develop weight-loss treatments; and autumn crocus, a natural treatment for gout which is also being developed to fight leukaemia.
Half of the world's species of magnolias, which contain the chemical honokiol, used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat cancers and heart disease, were also identified as being at risk.
The report expresses concern for the five billion people worldwide who still rely on traditional plant-based medicine rather than the chemical substitutes used by much of the developed world.
The secretary-general of the BGCI, Sara Oldfield, said: "Medicinal plants harvested from the wild remain of immense importance for the wellbeing of millions of people around the world. Over 70,000 plant species are thought to be medicinal."