‘Ayurvedic medicinal plants face extinction’

Rare global meet on medicines derived from natural sources.

‘Pharmacognosy-2013: International Conference and Exhibition on Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry & Natural Products’ kicked off on Monday at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel at Banjara Hills. The theme of the conference was “accelerating plant based drug discovery for safer drug development.”

Giving his keynote address at the meet, Dr Chandrakant Kokate, who is regarded as Father of Indian Pharmacognosy said, “The wealth of India is stored in enormous amount of flora and fauna that has been gifted to her. India is virtually an epicenter of biodiversity that has provided around ten thousand species of higher plants which are being systematically used for treatment of wider spectrum of human ailments. Plant-derived drugs constitute major share of different systems of healthcare systems practiced in India. 20,000 medicinal plants are grown in India.”

He added, “Indian herbal drug industry is the fastest growing one. Europe leads world market followed by Asia and North America. The global market for herbal drug industry is around $70.5 billion with an average annual growth of 10% to 12%. Around US $3500 million worth herbal medicines are produced annually. Approximately 1200 single ingredient and 10,500 polyherbal formulations are registered and are used in different diseases. 65 per cent of herbal medicines are categorised as ayurvedic medicines.”

“Production of drugs and pharmaceuticals in India is worth Rs 1,20,000 crore of which 20% is from herbal polyherbals. India is one amongst the top 12 mega-diversity countries in the world. Out of 18 global spots of bio-diversity, 2 exist in India—one at the Himalayas and other in the Western Ghats. We have 15 agro climate zones and 25 biotic provinces,” Chandrakant informed.

He listed some of the important indian herbal drugs for global trade, which include aloe-vera, amla, ashwagandha, brahmi, curcuma, dioscorea, garlic, henna, isapgol, kalmegh, lemon grass, neem, nutmeg, papaya, poppy, rauwolfia, saffron, sandalwood, senna, shaankhapushpi, shatavari, solanum, terminalia, tulsi, vidang and vinca.

“Arteether, Galanthamine, Nitisinone and Tiotropium are some of the recent herbal drugs in the world market. India has a huge potential. But, we are unable tap our potential. We need strict quality control, clinical validity, quality assurance and stability of our herbal products, if we need to make a dent in international market.” he said adding that good manufacturing practice for herbal formulations which is made mandatory several years ago is not strictly implemented.

Another Key Note speaker was S. Mohan Jain, an Indian origin Noble Laureate from University of Helsinki, Finland. He gave an overview on biomass production for secondary metabolites. “Loss of bio-diversity could become a serious threat to sustainable crop production. Conservation and use of bio-diversity are the backbone of any crop improvement. The protection of bio-diversity should be the top priority of the government. Climate change could devastate crops. Hundreds of medicinal plants are at risk of extinction, threatening the discovery of future cures for disease. The cures for things such as cancer and HIV may become "extinct” before they are ever found. 30-50% medicinal plant biodiversity faces the danger of extinction,” he informed.

Extinction: A major concern for medicinal plants

Quoting from Botanical Survey for India, Mohan Jain said that extinction is a major concern for medicinal plants. Ninety-three percent of the wild plants used in traditional Indian (ayurvedic) medicine are threatened with extinction.

“Lot of interests has been shown by pharmaceutical industries for drug development from natural source in the past couple of year. The knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses are as old as humankind. Now-a-days people are increasingly turning to indigenous systems of medicine, which are holistic, free from side effects and not only treat diseases but also prevent them. Because of this rising popularity, there is a lot of interest in this subject. The Pharmacognosy 2013 is organised in such a large scale in this light of background” informed Dr. Srinubabu Gedala, chairman & CEO, OMICS Group International, the organiser of the event.

This global meet on medicines derived from natural sources is one of the rarest to be held in Hyderabad. The delegates from several countries from abroad and India will deliberate on the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of drugs, drug substances or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural sources.

Among other issues to be discussed in the meet include challenges, opportunities in herbal medicines, trends, inventions etc. The meet will also address issues related to herbal medicines and drug discovery from natural products; thereby contribute to the holistic approach to global healthcare.