Medicinal Plants Face Extinction - Articles

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http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/2/9/medicinal-plants-face-extinction.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

Medicinal Plants Face Extinction

 

 

 

 

 

Over 400 medicinal plants are at risk of extinction, according to Botanic Gardens Conservation International, largely because of over-collection and deforestation.Since over 50 percent of prescription drugs are derived from chemicals identified in plants, researchers are concerned that potential cures could become “extinct before they are ever found.”Among the plants most at risk are:

 

Yew tree: The bark is used to create paclitaxel, a widely used cancer drug (it takes six trees to create a single dose).

 

Hoodia: Large quantities have been harvested from drug companies looking to create an appetite suppressant/weight loss drug.

 

Magnolia: Magnolia may help fight cancer, dementia and heart disease, but over half the world’s species are threatened.

 

Autumn crocus: A natural treatment for gout and a potential treatment for leukemia, autumn crocus is at risk from over-harvesting.Although many of the active ingredients from these at-risk plants are now created in a lab, billions of people in the developing world, who still use plant-based medicine as their primary form of health care, will be harshly impacted by their loss.

Sources:

 

BBC News January 19, 2008