Status and consolidated list of threatened medicinal plants of India

Abstract

A wide array of medicinal plants in India, primarily used by locals for health care, have found wide acceptance and adoption globally (either directly or processed) due to distinct advantages of good results, low or no side-effects and ease of access to general public. Indigenous and traditional systems of medicine in practice since historical times have shown potential (direct or indirect as immune-boosters) against many dreaded ailments including the recent global pandemic of COVID-19. With prediction of sixth mass extinction, there is worldwide concern as majority of these plants, collected from natural stands, are also facing threat of extinction. Since 1990s concerted efforts have been directed towards assessment of threat status, the basic requirement for prioritizing conservation activity to various species of plants and animals. In literature there is staggered information regarding list of threatened plants, including medicinal plants of India, compiled at either state level or national or international level. Analysis of these publications led to collation of a consolidated list of 84 species and the same is presented here. A brief account of conservation efforts in India at national level and supportive policy framework is also included. This compilation is aimed to serve as a comprehensive reference especially for beginners, researchers, conservationists, foresters, pharmaceutical professionals as well as policy makers.

Medical and medicinal importance of Rheum spp. collected from different altitudes of the Kashmir Himalayan range

“…Further, many of the morphological features may have a positive correlation with the synthesis and production of any phytoconstituent/phytochemical of the plant. Thus, the study of morphology becomes more important as it can indicate the best genotypes in relation to some active principles found in plants [4,5,10].…”

“…Thus it was identified as top priority species for conservation and cultivation. Due to its endangered nature, the export of R. emodi is banned or needs a special export permit [4,5].…”

Ecosystem Health and Risk Assessments for High Conservation Value Mountain Ecosystems of South Asia: A Necessity to Guide Conservation Policies

“…While there is still shortage of information on many the status of threatened species of plants and animals databases developed by ICIMOD ( https://www.icimod.org/ecosystem-services/hkh-bif/ ), Eastern Himalayas office of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India, GB Pant National Institute on Himalayan Environment, India, Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan, many NGOs, and academic organizations have given their untiring efforts in exploration, identification and threat assessments for many floral and faunal species in the region and can be used as a rich data base. The Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Regional Assessment reported that 22% of all species and 25% of endemic species in the region fall under various threatened categories of the IUCN red list ( www.iucnredlist.org ) (Sultan-Ud-Din et al 2016 ; IPBES 2018 ; Gowthami et al 2021 ). They are either extinct, extinct in the wild, or are critically endangered or vulnerable.…”

Ethnobotany of the Himalayas: Safeguarding Medical Practices and Traditional Uses of Kashmir Regions

“…In India, the enormous diversified ethnic groups and a rich repository of biological resources constitute the basis for the greatest market of medical wealth [31][32][33][34]. The forests of India have an enormous diversity of aromatic and medicinal plants [35][36][37]. As much as 18,532 plant taxa have been found in India, and only 7000-7500 of these taxa are utilized by tribal communities in health care [1,[38][39][40].…”