India's medicinal plants endangered & on a decline By: Dr Rina Mukherji, Kolkata
India's medicinal plants
endangered & on a decline
By: Dr Rina Mukherji, Kolkata
endangered & on a decline
By: Dr Rina Mukherji, Kolkata
Published in ECO, August 2015
Plant
biodiversity, especially that of medicinal plants, is today considered a
national treasure for any country. But in the land of Ayurveda, medicinal herbs
are under serious threat. Forty four such plants have been put on the IUCN Red
List.
Even as India braces
itself to replenish the fountains of its ancient knowledge, climate change,
habitat destruction due to urban, agricultural and industrial expansion, road
construction and hydropower projects threaten to wipe out some of its most
significant medicinal plants. Forty four such plants have been included in the
latest Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN).
Of these, Jatamansi (Nardostachys Jatamansi), Guggul (Commiphora Wightii), Chireta (Gentiana Kurroo), Safed Musli (Chlorophytum Borivilianum), Gokharu (Tribulus Rajasthanensis), Kut or Pachak (Sanssurea Costus), Vatsanabha (Aconite), White Lily (Lilium Polyphyllum) and Red Valerian are critically endangered.
Quite a few others, which include the Forest Coriander (Pimpinella Tirupatiensis) found in the Tirupati hills, Brahmadandi (Lamprachaenium Microcephalum) grown in Kerala and Karnataka, Star Grass Lily and Piper Barberi (a rare plant from the Pepper family), Jalavadesa (Humboldhia Vahliana) and Madhunashini (Gemnema Khandalense Santapau) are included in the endangered list.
The endangered list also includes star anise (Illicium griffithii) which is in great demand as a flavouring agent, besides serving as a carminative for digestion. The carnivorous Tropical Pitcher plant or Nepenthes Khasiana, often termed as a demon flower by the locals in Meghalaya, also finds mention here.
However, a recent survey by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has reportedly found that almost 93 per cent of medicinal plants in India were endangered. The BSI prioritised 359 wild medicinal plant species and conducted a countrywide assessment. Of the 359, 335 were assigned Red List status ranging from critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable to near-threatened. The BSI had also adhered to IUCNs Red List Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritisation.
India, ranked 6th among the 12 mega diversity countries, is one of the richest reservoirs of biological diversity in the world. While Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani make use of about 2,000 plants, a survey conducted by the All India Coordinated Research Project on Ethnobiology (AICRPE) during the last decade recorded over 8,000 species of wild plants used by tribals and other traditional communities in India for treating various health problems. As per Ayurvedanews.in, of these less than 20 per cent of the species used are cultivated. Rest are sourced, even at an industrial level, from forests. The problems are compounded by market-demand driven harvesting without any concern for representation and conservation.
Most of these species are threatened by indiscriminate collection for use in Ayurvedic and Unani medicines, as also cosmetics. For example the beautiful white lily is in demand not just as a medicine for bronchial asthma and cough, but as an essential ingredient for creams and cosmetics. The same applies to star anise, which is a prized condiment for chefs the world over, even while being in demand as a medicine for bronchial asthma and cough.
Of these, Jatamansi (Nardostachys Jatamansi), Guggul (Commiphora Wightii), Chireta (Gentiana Kurroo), Safed Musli (Chlorophytum Borivilianum), Gokharu (Tribulus Rajasthanensis), Kut or Pachak (Sanssurea Costus), Vatsanabha (Aconite), White Lily (Lilium Polyphyllum) and Red Valerian are critically endangered.
Quite a few others, which include the Forest Coriander (Pimpinella Tirupatiensis) found in the Tirupati hills, Brahmadandi (Lamprachaenium Microcephalum) grown in Kerala and Karnataka, Star Grass Lily and Piper Barberi (a rare plant from the Pepper family), Jalavadesa (Humboldhia Vahliana) and Madhunashini (Gemnema Khandalense Santapau) are included in the endangered list.
The endangered list also includes star anise (Illicium griffithii) which is in great demand as a flavouring agent, besides serving as a carminative for digestion. The carnivorous Tropical Pitcher plant or Nepenthes Khasiana, often termed as a demon flower by the locals in Meghalaya, also finds mention here.
However, a recent survey by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has reportedly found that almost 93 per cent of medicinal plants in India were endangered. The BSI prioritised 359 wild medicinal plant species and conducted a countrywide assessment. Of the 359, 335 were assigned Red List status ranging from critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable to near-threatened. The BSI had also adhered to IUCNs Red List Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritisation.
India, ranked 6th among the 12 mega diversity countries, is one of the richest reservoirs of biological diversity in the world. While Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani make use of about 2,000 plants, a survey conducted by the All India Coordinated Research Project on Ethnobiology (AICRPE) during the last decade recorded over 8,000 species of wild plants used by tribals and other traditional communities in India for treating various health problems. As per Ayurvedanews.in, of these less than 20 per cent of the species used are cultivated. Rest are sourced, even at an industrial level, from forests. The problems are compounded by market-demand driven harvesting without any concern for representation and conservation.
Most of these species are threatened by indiscriminate collection for use in Ayurvedic and Unani medicines, as also cosmetics. For example the beautiful white lily is in demand not just as a medicine for bronchial asthma and cough, but as an essential ingredient for creams and cosmetics. The same applies to star anise, which is a prized condiment for chefs the world over, even while being in demand as a medicine for bronchial asthma and cough.
There are other
pressures too. Star Anise and the highly endangered Gymnocladus
Assamicus found in Arunachal Pradesh, are threatened by hydropower
projects. Jaiphal or Nutmeg (Myristica Dactyloides) and White Champa (Magnolica
Nilagirica) are species that are especially threatened by dams and hydel
projects.
Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List (Global Species Programme) particularly blames the construction of dams and hydroelectric projects for the threat faced by endangered bitter nutmeg and the vulnerable White Champa. The area cleared for the construction of dams is more than the area of the existing forests and has caused fragmentation of species habitats.
Fragmentation, according to Hilton-Taylor, severely affects the regeneration, genetic exchange and spread of subpopulations. The subpopulations are further fragmented by agricultural invasion, human settlements and urbanisation; and construction of roads to reach the hydroelectric dams and power stations.
In Meghalaya, where the clear waters in its long pitcher had people refer to it as hunters cup, the Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes Khasiana) is severely affected by the acid discharge from mining sites. Its population is now dwindling in the wild. Indiscriminate collection for folk medicine by locals has also proven to be its bane.
Chireta (Gentiana Kurroo) has been badly hit by climate change. The 2013 cloudburst and floods in Uttarakhand took a major toll of this vegetation in the hill state known for its medicinal plants. It nearly wiped out areas where the species grew in the wild.
IUCN proposes a combination of conservation actions to turn the clock back on these endangered species of plants, says Hilton-Taylor. These include identification of more than 100 forest areas called Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas (MPCAs) to promote in situ conservation of these species primarily through habitat management.
Other measures, as per IUCN, include encouraging sustainable collection, introducing trade regulations for plants collected from the wild and getting communities to impose regulations regarding the collection of these species. They give the specific example of star anise. Given its high value in markets and high demand, communities have now imposed some regulations on the collection and management of subpopulations of the species. These include a ban on collection of immature fruits and on tree felling during fruit collection.
Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List (Global Species Programme) particularly blames the construction of dams and hydroelectric projects for the threat faced by endangered bitter nutmeg and the vulnerable White Champa. The area cleared for the construction of dams is more than the area of the existing forests and has caused fragmentation of species habitats.
Fragmentation, according to Hilton-Taylor, severely affects the regeneration, genetic exchange and spread of subpopulations. The subpopulations are further fragmented by agricultural invasion, human settlements and urbanisation; and construction of roads to reach the hydroelectric dams and power stations.
In Meghalaya, where the clear waters in its long pitcher had people refer to it as hunters cup, the Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes Khasiana) is severely affected by the acid discharge from mining sites. Its population is now dwindling in the wild. Indiscriminate collection for folk medicine by locals has also proven to be its bane.
Chireta (Gentiana Kurroo) has been badly hit by climate change. The 2013 cloudburst and floods in Uttarakhand took a major toll of this vegetation in the hill state known for its medicinal plants. It nearly wiped out areas where the species grew in the wild.
IUCN proposes a combination of conservation actions to turn the clock back on these endangered species of plants, says Hilton-Taylor. These include identification of more than 100 forest areas called Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas (MPCAs) to promote in situ conservation of these species primarily through habitat management.
Other measures, as per IUCN, include encouraging sustainable collection, introducing trade regulations for plants collected from the wild and getting communities to impose regulations regarding the collection of these species. They give the specific example of star anise. Given its high value in markets and high demand, communities have now imposed some regulations on the collection and management of subpopulations of the species. These include a ban on collection of immature fruits and on tree felling during fruit collection.
IUCN also suggests
preventing overgrazing by animals and imposing trade regulations. For instance,
the Tropical Pitcher Plant is already included in the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix I.
Similarly, all species of Vatsanabha or Aconitum used both in Homeopathy and
Ayurveda are prohibited for export from India if the plants have been collected
from the wild. And finally, instead of overexploiting the wild, the union
suggests cultivation of species in nurseries to reduce pressure on the wild
population.
While agreeing that habitat destruction and cutting down of forests is causing the loss of many medicinal species, botanist Dr Pankaj Oudhia questions the IUCN Red List. He has documented medicinal plants and biodiversity and their use in tribal and Ayurvedic systems for years. Pointing out the exclusion of several other species that are disappearing over the years, he says, I do not know from where they collect their information. They have never talked to me ever nor to healers who can give them ground-level information. There are species like Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) and aritha or Indian soapnut (Sapindus Laurifolia), guroochi (Tinospora Cordifolia) which are disappearing and yet do not find mention in the list.
According to Dr Oudhia, the collection of medicinal plants by traders rather than healers due to commercialisation of Ayurvedic remedies is to blame for the vulnerability and extinction of many species. Traditional healers are careful never to uproot plants. When they collect leaves or bark, they take care never to destroy the tree, he says.
Probably, this is because there is a certain reverence for nature in traditional healing systems. Ayurvedic physician at the Swami Santdas Herbal Research Centre, Dr Trina Paul explains, Ayurveda tells us the procedure and the amount of root, bark or leaves that have to be collected and in what season. It is very precise in its directions. If the root is collected in one season, the bark is collected in another and the leaves or flowers in yet another. Traders are only concerned about quantity so that they can maximise profits. They are never bothered about maintaining quality. Negligence and lack of knowledge are to blame for the disappearance of medicinal plants.
Why just Ayurveda? The destruction of forests has caused the disappearance of several varieties of wild orchids and insects that thrive on them. Folk medicine uses many insects for healing; it has adversely affected folk medicine. Where Ayurvedic medicines are concerned, the lack of certain species gets manufacturers to use alternatives. This affects the efficacy of the medicine. Chyavanprash today is not as effective as it once was, says Dr Oudhia.
Dr Paul seconds Dr Oudhia. We never prescribe any ready medicines here. We purchase the herbs and plants from suppliers and ourselves prepare the medicines. But we cannot get the same quality as we did before.
This is probably because traders do not collect it all in the wild. A lot may be sourced from among cultivated varieties to make up for the quantities demanded by practitioners and pharmaceutical companies. This lowers the medicinal properties. The wild variety has thrice the medicinal potency as compared to the cultivated variety. It is impossible to replicate the soil quality of the forests in cultivation, explains Dr Oudhia.
While agreeing that habitat destruction and cutting down of forests is causing the loss of many medicinal species, botanist Dr Pankaj Oudhia questions the IUCN Red List. He has documented medicinal plants and biodiversity and their use in tribal and Ayurvedic systems for years. Pointing out the exclusion of several other species that are disappearing over the years, he says, I do not know from where they collect their information. They have never talked to me ever nor to healers who can give them ground-level information. There are species like Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) and aritha or Indian soapnut (Sapindus Laurifolia), guroochi (Tinospora Cordifolia) which are disappearing and yet do not find mention in the list.
According to Dr Oudhia, the collection of medicinal plants by traders rather than healers due to commercialisation of Ayurvedic remedies is to blame for the vulnerability and extinction of many species. Traditional healers are careful never to uproot plants. When they collect leaves or bark, they take care never to destroy the tree, he says.
Probably, this is because there is a certain reverence for nature in traditional healing systems. Ayurvedic physician at the Swami Santdas Herbal Research Centre, Dr Trina Paul explains, Ayurveda tells us the procedure and the amount of root, bark or leaves that have to be collected and in what season. It is very precise in its directions. If the root is collected in one season, the bark is collected in another and the leaves or flowers in yet another. Traders are only concerned about quantity so that they can maximise profits. They are never bothered about maintaining quality. Negligence and lack of knowledge are to blame for the disappearance of medicinal plants.
Why just Ayurveda? The destruction of forests has caused the disappearance of several varieties of wild orchids and insects that thrive on them. Folk medicine uses many insects for healing; it has adversely affected folk medicine. Where Ayurvedic medicines are concerned, the lack of certain species gets manufacturers to use alternatives. This affects the efficacy of the medicine. Chyavanprash today is not as effective as it once was, says Dr Oudhia.
Dr Paul seconds Dr Oudhia. We never prescribe any ready medicines here. We purchase the herbs and plants from suppliers and ourselves prepare the medicines. But we cannot get the same quality as we did before.
This is probably because traders do not collect it all in the wild. A lot may be sourced from among cultivated varieties to make up for the quantities demanded by practitioners and pharmaceutical companies. This lowers the medicinal properties. The wild variety has thrice the medicinal potency as compared to the cultivated variety. It is impossible to replicate the soil quality of the forests in cultivation, explains Dr Oudhia.
Dr Paul particularly
singles out chireta which grows in the high altitude jungles of
Uttarakhand. It has nearly disappeared from the markets and we cannot get it at
all. Habitat destruction has been affecting it for some time. The 2013
cloudburst has sounded its death knell, she says. The disappearance of chireta
has got healers to opt for kalmegh, stretching the latters supplies, she
adds.
Climate change, urbanisation and destruction of forests have become a major problem for Ayurvedic practitioners and manufacturers of Ayurvedic medicines. Unable to get the quantities needed, many manufacturers have started cultivating ashwagandha, aloe vera (ghritakumari) and safed musli. But this takes its toll on the end-product. Take the case of amla (Indian gooseberry). The wild variety is fibrous and small; the cultivated variety is tastier, but lacking in medicinal value, explains Dr Oudhia.
This compromises the quality of the medicine too. Nowadays, when we prescribe a cure, we achieve our ends by combining several herbs to achieve the desired results. We do not prescribe any single species medicine, says Dr Paul.
Not that nothing is being done. The National Medicinal Plants Board constituted in November 2000, has been developing a central scheme for conservation and development of cultivation methods for the plants and has roped in several states in the project. Projects for setting up of 29 Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) have also been implemented. And, in 2008, the central government initiated a programme to relocate species from the wild, to study how to domesticate them and promote sustainable harvest protocols.
But domesticating them is certainly not going to be the best remedy, botanists and healers point out. They will need to be grown in the wild, in lush forests. Only then can one get the best out of their medicinal properties, they say.
So what is the way ahead? It is the forest department that must take the initiative to grow these medicinal plants, says Dr Oudhia. The micro-nutrients of the forest floor can never be replicated in domestic gardens. Unfortunately the forest officials are only interested in timber, he rues.
With the government keen on the traditional sciences, this should not be difficult. It has already set up the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) in November 2014, which is also taking interest in the propagation of the Tibetan Buddhist system of SowaRigpa. The AYUSH Department is also reportedly exploring export opportunities for Ayurvedic medicine. As all these age-old good health systems depend heavily on medicinal plants, it is only to be realised that loss of this biodiversity will rob us of our centuries-old heritage in the healing sciences.
Dr Rina Mukherji has been writing exclusively on sustainable development for over two decades. She is a recipient of several academic and media fellowships.
Climate change, urbanisation and destruction of forests have become a major problem for Ayurvedic practitioners and manufacturers of Ayurvedic medicines. Unable to get the quantities needed, many manufacturers have started cultivating ashwagandha, aloe vera (ghritakumari) and safed musli. But this takes its toll on the end-product. Take the case of amla (Indian gooseberry). The wild variety is fibrous and small; the cultivated variety is tastier, but lacking in medicinal value, explains Dr Oudhia.
This compromises the quality of the medicine too. Nowadays, when we prescribe a cure, we achieve our ends by combining several herbs to achieve the desired results. We do not prescribe any single species medicine, says Dr Paul.
Not that nothing is being done. The National Medicinal Plants Board constituted in November 2000, has been developing a central scheme for conservation and development of cultivation methods for the plants and has roped in several states in the project. Projects for setting up of 29 Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) have also been implemented. And, in 2008, the central government initiated a programme to relocate species from the wild, to study how to domesticate them and promote sustainable harvest protocols.
But domesticating them is certainly not going to be the best remedy, botanists and healers point out. They will need to be grown in the wild, in lush forests. Only then can one get the best out of their medicinal properties, they say.
So what is the way ahead? It is the forest department that must take the initiative to grow these medicinal plants, says Dr Oudhia. The micro-nutrients of the forest floor can never be replicated in domestic gardens. Unfortunately the forest officials are only interested in timber, he rues.
With the government keen on the traditional sciences, this should not be difficult. It has already set up the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) in November 2014, which is also taking interest in the propagation of the Tibetan Buddhist system of SowaRigpa. The AYUSH Department is also reportedly exploring export opportunities for Ayurvedic medicine. As all these age-old good health systems depend heavily on medicinal plants, it is only to be realised that loss of this biodiversity will rob us of our centuries-old heritage in the healing sciences.
Dr Rina Mukherji has been writing exclusively on sustainable development for over two decades. She is a recipient of several academic and media fellowships.
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