MEDICINAL Medicinal PLANT SPECIALIST

GROUP Conservation Silphion

Volume 1 30 April 1995

Newsletter of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Medicinal Plant Specialist Group

Chairs’s Note Authority and has broad experience in international trade issues. Tony Cunningham has been carrying out ethnobotanical research for many years and is the African field coordinator for the WWF/UNESCO/KEW People and As Co-Chairs of the newly established Initiative. He was President of the Inter- Medicinal Plant Specialist Group (MPSG), we national Society of Ethnobiology from 1992- are very pleased to present this first issue of 1994. Medicinal Plant Conservation to you. This newsletter is designed to inform you about the work and Objectives. The Medicinal Plant Specialist achievements of the Specialist Group and the Group is not just another traditional use group. developments in medicinal plant conservation. It Instead, it will be concentrating its efforts on will be distributed not only to members but to vulnerable species for which demand exceeds also to the broader public interested in this topic. supply from wild populations. Here, the greatest In the wide range of journals dealing with medi- conservation threat is faced by high demand for cinal plants, we believe that our newsletter is slow growing, slow reproducing, habitat specific filling a gap by dealing with issues focussed on species. The biodiversity prospecting debate the conservation of these valuable taxa - a field needs to be recognized by the MPSG as an issue that has been widely neglected so far. in which conservation aspects need to be further developed through interaction with the IUCN History of the Group. In May 1994, the IUCN Ethics Group and others. Benefit sharing for the /SSC Plant Conservation Subcommittee commercialisation of natural resources can be an recommended that a Medicinal Plant Specialist incentive for their long-term conservation Group should be formed in response to rising through local comminities. concerns from many independent experts about plant conservation issues relating to medicinal In 1993, WHO, IUCN and WWF have jointly plants. Following this meeting, Tony Cun- published guidelines for the conservation of ningham and Uwe Schippmann were appointed medicinal plants. The major task for the MPSG Co-Chairs of the MPSG. Uwe Schippmann has will be to draw up a conservation Action Plan a background and is the head of the with both taxonomic and geographic focus. The plant division of Germany´s CITES Scientific Action plan will review the conservation needs

30 April 1995 of taxa and recommend conservation actions tion leaders from 169 countries. SSC members sufficient to ensure long-term survival of these provide technical and scientific counsel for bio- species. Action Planning is the best means for diversity conservation projects throughout the the MPSG to play its role as advisory and world. They provide advisory support to govern- catalytic committee for other bodies. As a first ments, international conventions, and conserva- step, it is proposed to draw up national reports tion organizations. which review existing information on medicinal plants in local, regional and international trade The SSC works primarily through its Specialist and short-list species for special attention. Groups, most of which represent particular plant and animal groups that are threatened with Call for contributions. To achieve our goal of extinction, or are of special importance for global coordination of activities in medicinal human welfare. A few groups deal with cross- plant conservation, this newsletter will also cutting species conservation issues, such as serve as a forum to present regional groups and veterinary medicine, conservation breeding and networks, their ongoing projects and propagation, reintroducing species into their for- achievements such as conferences, meetings, mer ranges, invasive species, sustainable use publications, project reports and newsletters. We of wildlife. Of the total 102 Specialist Groups would like to encourage all members and readers about 20 are dealing with plant conservation to use this newsletter as a platform to make your issues. work more widely known. Contributions are highly appreciated and should be sent to the edi- Susan Tressler, IUCN/SSC, Chicago tor.

Acknowledgements. We want to take the Silphion - Our Logo for the Medicinal opportunity to thank the Plants Officer of IUCN Plant Specialist Group /SSC, Wendy Strahm, for her continuing efforts and input in making this Specialist Group come alive. Also, we thank Hajo Schmitz-Kretschmer Our logo depicts the ancient Silphion plant. We for his work on editing this first Newsletter have chosen this as the symbol for the Medicinal issue. The production and mailing of this Plant Specialist Group because it reflects the Newsletter was made possible by the support of long time that plants have been used and deple- the German Federal Agency for Nature Con- ted by man. The drawing is taken from a coin servation. from Cyrene which has been kindly made avai- lable to us by the Trustees of the British Mu- Tony Cunningham, Uwe Schippmann seum, London (fig. 1). We are espcially endep- ted to Ms Anja Seidl who has prepared the dra- wing of the Silphion logo. What is IUCN? What is SSC?

The MPSG is one of 102 Spe The Silphion Story cialist Groups within IUCN´s Species Survival Commission (SSC). One of the largest and most active of Between 570 and 250 BC the majority of coins IUCN The World Conservation Union´s six vo- that were minted in the ancient Cyrene, a sity lunteer commissions, the SSC network encom- situated in what is now the eastern part of Libya, passes 6,000 volunteer member scientists, field carried the embossed picture of the Silphion researchers, government officials and conserva- plant. This reflects the enormous economic

2 Medicinal Plant Conservation 1 importance this plant had for the city over four has nothing in common with the North Ame- centuries. Silphion has been mentioned again rican Silphium Linnaeus of the Com- and again in classical literature by Plinius, Hip- positae family. Silphion obviously belongs to the pocrates, Dioscorides, Herodot, Theophrast and family. Its generic affinities have been others, so we know quite well that the economy discussed at length my many authors. Names like of Cyrene depended on the utilization and export silphium, T. garganica, Ferula tin- of Silphion. As demand in the Greek and Roman gitana, F. marmarica, and Prangos ferulacea world was great and the supply limited, Silphion have been suggested. Judging from the many gained high prices on the internatonal markets. literature sources revised it is clear that the ancient Silphion has at least close affinities to The perennial roots Ferula tingitana, species which is rare in and strongly ribbed Cyrenaica today. Silphion may well be a distinct annual stems of the species of its own which became extinct almost Silphion plant were 2000 years ago. eaten in the fresh state and were regarded as a What we have before us is an example of over- perfume, flavouring harvesting and probable extinction of an ancient agent, and spice. The medicinal plant. Silphion reflects both the Fig. 1: Coin from Cyrene juice was employed potential wealth through plant utilization and the showing Sylphion (by courtesy of the Trustees of the British medicinally against a possible risks and downfall through over- Museum, London). wide range of harvesting. It is well placed as a logo for the symptoms and disea- MPSG work. ses, especially gynaecological ailments - it was a true “multi-purpose species” in the sense of Excellent summaries of the Silphion history are modern economic botany. given in Moldenke & Moldenke (Garden Jour- nal 1, 1951, New York), Gemmil (Bull. Hist. It appears that Silphion was found only in the Medicine 40, 1966) and Strantz (Zur Sil- dry hinterland between Bengasi and Derna. phionfrage, Berlin 1909). I want to especially Attempts to cultivate it seem to have failed, so wild plants remained the source of supply. For the first centuries we can assume that theutilization of this wild plant resource was sustainable. From 250 BC onwards, Silphion begins to dissapear from the coins. There was a gradual vanishing of Silphion from the markets and it seems to have been extinct by the first centuries AD. The progressive extermination of the plant in its range during this period took place after Cyrene was no longer ruled by per- manent local residents but by a series of short- term governors who may have tried to maximize the short-term benefits from Silphion utilization. This change in harvesting management could be at least one of the reasons for the dramatic decline in its use and its final extinction as an economic resource.

Botanists have for a long time tried to Fig. 2: Location of the town of Cyrene in Libya taxonomically identify Silphion. It is clear that is

30 April 1995 3 thank Heinz Kalheber, Wolfgang Ludwig and exchange of opinions on our concept and wor- Thomas Raus for providing me with numerous king programme. We want to specially draw sources and their views on the Silphion story. your attention to the idea of drafting national reports which review existing information on Uwe Schippmann medicinal plants and short-list species for special attention.

Membership In 1993, WHO, IZUCN and WWF published the Guidelines on the conservation of medicinal plants. A few remaining copies in English, By December 1994, in a first phase of invited French of Spanish are available at the IUCN membership more than 30 members have been office in Gland. invited to join the group. Members were selected on the basis of strategic geographic location, professional interest, and their role as people Fundraising who could network within their regions.

At present, the geographical focus of group members is as follows: As all other Specialist Groups, the MPSG has no Africa 11 Europe 3 regular budget allocated to it from IUCN. All Asia, temperate 6 Northern America 2 funds to support the group, its meetings and pro- Asia, tropical 7 Southern America 8 jects have to come from outsde. Efforts are Australasia 1 Pacific 1 being made to rise external funding.

Fund raising from users, governmental and Concept and Working Programme non-governmental organizations will be carried out in collaboration with the SSC Financial Development Officer and the Executive Officer. A draft concept and working programme was Funds should be raised primarily to promote prepared in May 1994 and sent out to all pro- specific projects which the MPSG has high- spective members. Substantial comments were lighted as priority action but also for the tech- received from Sarah Laird, Danna Leaman, nical support of the Specialist Group itself. Sonia Lagos-Witte, Christine Leon, Nina Mar- shall, and Vinay Tandon and have been incorporated. We are most grateful for these First Meeting contributions. The redrafted version has been mailed to all members with this issue of Medicinal Plant Conservation. For all others, copies Meetings on a regular basis are essential for the can be obtained through the editor. group’s goal of international coordination of the various medicinal plant conservation efforts. We The MPSG has not yet met, its programme and hope that MPSG meetings can be held annually. working concept will be discussed at its first To save expenses, we have decided to tie the meeting. In preparation of this meeting we meetings of the MPSG into ethnobotanical or would like to gather viewpoints in writing. We other conferences which part of our group mem- would therefore ask all MPSG members to com- bers are attending. ment on this draft and communicate your views to Tony Cunningham. The next issue of our We plan to meet at least once before the next newsletter could be used as platform for an IUCN General Assembly which is scheduled for

4 Medicinal Plant Conservation 1 14-23 October 1996 in Montreal, Canada. The new listings are valid as of 16 February 1995. best option would be a meeting in early 1996. For the above mentioned Appendix II taxa, This would give us some time for raising travel basically an export permit of the country of funds for at least some of our members which export is required. For Prunus africana and otherwise would not be able to attend. A pos- Aquilaria malaccensis, all parts and derivatives sible option would be the Forum on Indigenous are controlled. In Taxus wallichiana, the Plant Use which is held in Cape Town, South medicinal products are excluded. in Pterocarpus Africa, in January 1996. santalinus, the listing covers the primary pro- ducts only. If members are aware of any other meeting or conference which would be a convenient option These new listings are a challenge for the CITES for tying our meeting into, please make this system due to the forseeable problem of information available to the co-chairs. implementation: The parts and derivatives appearing in trade (bark, leaves, powder, chips) are difficult to identify. Yet it is clear that these CITES News species are overexploited and in need of regulation.

Most of you are aware that the We regard these new listings as a case study for Ninth Conference of the Parties the ability of CITES to contribute to the con- to CITES was held in November servation of medicinal plants threatened by 1994 in Ft. Lauderdale, USA. international trade. The Indian and Kenyan Important decisions were taken that will authorities, as proponents of these proposals, contribute to the conservation of a range of plant have now the obligation to prepare identification species through monitoring and international sheets for these commodities. The MPSG should trade controls. On the plant side, the conference get involved in the process of implementation by was dominated by the highly controversial tim- offeringits help in drafting identification guides ber issues. However, in the background another and training of customs staff. If you have infor- important change was going on: The conference mation in which forms the newly listed taxa are discussed and accepted proposals to list traded internatinally please contact Uwe medicinal plants threatened by trade in Schippmann. Also samples of these taxa in their Appendix II of the Convention, thus moving prominent trade form would be most welcome. away from the traditional horticultural focus and They could be the basis for photographic ta- opening CITES for the field of medicinals. bles to be produced as identification guides for customs staff. Out of a total of 13 medicinal plant proposals (all but one proposed by India) three taxa were The CITES conference has also decided to carry accepted: Prunus africana (proposed by Kenya), out Significant Trade Studies in the major plant Aquilaria malaccensis, and Taxus wallichiana. groups. This process is coordinated by Noel Also, a fourth species, Pterocarpus santalinus, McGough (UK CITES Scientific Authority). It is partly traded for its medicinal value. All of was explicitly stated that this process should these taxa are significantly traded and are of include a study on Appendix II medicinal plants. commercial importance. A review of all medicinal plants taxa presently listed on Appendix II will be given in the next While the commercial trade in wild collected issue of Medicinal Plant Conservation. material is completely banned in Appendix I, Appendix II still allows for a controlled Uwe Schippmann international trade in field collected plants. The

30 April 1995 5 Medicinal Plant Trade into Germany FAO - Non-Wood News

A preliminary survey carried out by Lewington In March 1994, the Non-Wood Products and in 1992 (Medicinal plants and aplant extracts. A Energy Branch of FAO has published the first review of their importation into Europe, Traffic volume of the bulletin Non-Wood News. The International, Cambridge, 1993) revealed that publication of 47 pages is most informative und Germany is one of the main centers of medicinal summarizes a large number of activities, events, plant trade worldwide. In a new study carried and processes that are going on in this field. The out in 1994 by D. Lange-Osten and funded by bulletin can be obtained from C. Chan- the German Ministry of Environment the drasekharan (address below). Volume 2 is in imports of medicinal plants into Germany were press. investigated. The new study compiled a com- puterized list of more than 1500 medicinal plant taxa entering Germany with detailed information Conferences and Meetings on trade names, taxonomy, distribution, and ot- her biological data. Of further interest were the provenances of these medicinal plants, the com- 27-30 August 1995, International Symposium modities which the plants or their active compo- on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Amhurst, nents are traded in, and whether the plants are USA (Enquiries: L. L. Cracker, Dept. of Plant wild harvested or from cultivation. and Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amhurst, MA 01003, USA) Most of the medicinal plants are imported as dried material, some as extracts, and only a few 6-9 September 1995, Global Conference on Tra- as fresh material (e.g. Drosera sp., Passiflora ditional Health Systems and Policy, Green incarnata), the latter mainly used for College, Oxford University, United Kingdom homeopathic treatments. In the first half of 1993 (Enquiries: G. Bodeker, PO Box 59748, the main exporting countries for dried plants to Washington DC, 20012-9748, USA) Germany were Sudan, India, followed by Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Albania, China, 10-15 September 1995, NAPRECA Symposium, Chile and Argentina. It is difficult to collect Makere University, Uganda (Enquiries: E. precise data concerning the origin and the Dagne, address below) quantities of the medicinal plant species involved because each company treats this 25-29 September 1995, 4. International Botanic information as being their confidential know- Gardens Conservation Congress, Perth, how. Also, the German customs records are of Australia (Enquiries: Congress West, PO Box little help because tariff headings of medicinal 1248, West Perth, W.A. 6872, Australia) plants are mostly unspecific this making the information almost useless. Februar 1997, 2. World Congress on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants for Human Welfare, A report will be published in 1995. Also, a Argentina (Enquiries: WOCMAP Secretariat, follow-up study focusing on the population Englaan 1, 6703 ET Wageningen, Netherlands) status of the taxa imported will be funded by the German government this year.

Uwe Schippmann

6 Medicinal Plant Conservation 1 The following list of members is as of 30 April 1995. Please look through it and advise the editor on all errors. The data have been taken from the List of members Membership Records. Information on E-Mail-numbers of members will be provided in the next issue of Medicinal Plant Conservation.

Prof. Dr. Bill AALBERSBERG Dr. Alan HAMILTON Sarah LAIRD University of the South Pacific, WWF International, Panda House, Rainforest Alliance, PO Box 4004, Suva, Fiji Weyside Park, Catteshall Lane, Westport, MA, USA Tel ++679/313-900 Godalming, Surrey GU7 1XR, Tel ++1/212/677-1900 Fax ++679/302548, 301305 United Kingdom Fax ++1/212/677-2187 Tel ++44/483/426-444 Jim ARMSTRONG Fax ++44/483/426-409 Dagmar LANGE-OSTEN Department of Conservation and Riedstraße 22, D-71711 Murr, Land Mangement, Hackett drive, Ruth KIEW Germany Crawley, Perth, WA 6009, Dept. Biology, Universiti Pertani- Tel ++49/7144/22840 Australia an Malaysia, 43400, UPM Tel ++61/9/4420307 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Dr. Danna LEAMAN Fax ++61/9/3866399 Malaysia Environment & Natural Resources Tel ++60/3/9486101/10, x 3592 Division, Internat. Development Prof. Dr. Robert A. BYE Fax ++60/3/9483745 Research Center, PO Box 8500, Jardín Botánico JB-UNAM, Ottawa, ON K1G 3H9, Canada Ciudad Universitaria, Apdo. Post. Dr. Steven KING Tel ++1/613/236-6163 70-614, 04510 México, D.F., Shaman Pharmaceuticals, 213 East Fax ++1/613/567-7749 Mexico Grand Avenue, CA 94080-4812 Tel ++52/5/616-1297 South San Francisco, USA Christine LEON Fax ++52/5/616-2326 Tel. ++1/415/266-7475 Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Fax ++1/415/873-1463 Centre for Economic Botany, Cherukat CHANDRASEKHA- RBG, Kew Richmond, Surrey RAN Dr. Sonia LAGOS-WITTE TW9 3AB, United Kingdom Non Wood Products and Energy Enda/TRAMIL, PO Box 64, Tel. ++44/181/332-5702 Fax ++44/181/332-5197 Branch, Forestry Department, Managua, Nicaragua FAO, Viale delle Terme di Tel ++505/2/651410 Anna LEWINGTON Caracalla, I-00100 Rom, Italy Fax ++505/2/667039 Cambridge Cottage, Brantridge Tel ++39/6/5225-2965 Lane, Balcombe Sussex RH17 Fax ++39/6/5225-5618 Moving Chairs.... 6JR, United Kingdom Tel ++44/444/400327 Dr. Ermias DAGNE Dept. of Chemistry, University of Please note that Tony Edelmira LINARES Addis Abeba, PO Box 1176, Ad- Cunningham has moved Jardin Botánico JB-UNAM, dis Abeba, Ethiopia from Western Australia Ciudad Universitaria, Apdo. Post. Tel ++251/1/126276 70-614, 04510 México, D.F., Fax ++251/1/552112 back to South Africa recently. Mexico His new address is now: Tel. ++52/5/6229047,48,49 Shahina A. GHAZANFAR Fax ++52/5/6229046 Dept. of Biology, Sultan Qaboos P.O. Box 42, Betty´s Bay University, College of Science, 7141, South Africa, Narayan P. MANANDHAR PO Box 36, Al-Khod 123, Muscat, Telefon and Fax: ++27/ National Herbarium & Plant Sultanate of Oman 2823/29731 Laboratories, PO Box 3389, Kath- Tel ++968/515447 mandu, Nepal Fax ++968/513263 (Home) Tel ++977/1/290547 Fax ++977/1/290549 Cynthia GIDDY Ebenezer LAING Giddy's Nursery, PO Box 45, Dept. of Botany, University of Nina MARSHALL Umlaas Road, 3730 Natal, South Ghana, PO Box 55, Legon, Ghana IUCN Regional Office, PO Box Africa Tel ++233/21/777651 68200, Nairobi, Kenia Tel ++27/332/510478 Fax ++233/21/777655 Tel ++254/2/891237 Fax ++27/332/510478 Fax ++254/2/891237

30 April 1995 7 Steven MAVI Dr. Marileen REINDERS National Herbarium and Botanical Goeman Borgesiuslaan 17 II, 3522 Garden, Mount Pleasant, PO Box ES Utrecht, Netherlands CY 550, Causeway Harare, Zimbabwe Dr. Niranjan Chandra SHAH Tel ++263/4/744170, 725313 Herbal Research & De- Fax ++263/4/728317 vel.Institute/ Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Martin MBEWE MS-78; Sector-'D', 226 020 U.P Thusano Lefatsheng, Dept. Aliganj, Lucknow, India Biology, University of Natal, King Tel ++91/522-387543 George V Aven., Durban 4001, Fax ++91/522/385554 South Africa Tel ++27/31/260-3192 Vinay TANDON Fax ++27/31/260-2029 Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions, 50 MHS Noel MCGOUGH Layout, 2.stage, 3.Main, Anand- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, nagar Bangalore 560 024, India Conventions and Policy Section, Tel ++91/80/333 6909 Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, Fax ++91/80/333 41 67 United Kingdom Tel 0044/81/332-5722 Vivienne WILLIAMS Fax: 0044/81/332-5278 Dept. Botany, University Wit- watersrand, Private Bag 3, PO Wits Vivek MENON 2050 Johannesburg, South Africa Traffic India, 172-B, Lodhi Estate, Tel ++27/11/716-2182 New Delhi 110 003, India Fax ++27/11/339-1145 Tel ++91/11/4616532 Fax ++91/11/4626837

Geoffrey NICHOLS Durban Municipal Parks Medicinal Plant Conservationis edited and produced by: Department, P.O. Box 3740, Dur- ban 4000, South Africa Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Mr. Hajo Schmitz-Kretschmer, Tel ++27/31/234466 Konstantinstr. 110, D-53179 Bonn, Germany Fax ++27/31/232773 Tel ++49/228/9543-444 Fax ++49/228/9543-470 Sara OLDFIELD The Old Plough, 2 Caxton Road, Copies of the newsletter are available from the editor. Contributions for the Sandy, Beds. SG19 3BE, United Kingdom next issue of Medicinal Plant Conservation in autumn 1995 are most welco- Tel ++44/767/677558 me and should be sent to the editor either as printouts or, preferab- Fax ++44/767/677964 ly, as word processing files. Files in ASCII or Word Perfect for Windows, Version 6.0, are equally welcome. Neriman ÖZHATAY Dept. Pharmaceutical Botany, The Medicinal Plant Specialist Group is co-chaired by: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Istanbul, Istanbul Universitesi, Dr Tony Cunningham, PO Box 42, Betty´s Bay 7141, South Africa, 34452 Istanbul, Turkiye Tel/Fax ++27/2823/29731, and Tel (?)0212 514 03 64 Fax (?)0 212 519 08 12 Dr Uwe Schippmann, Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Konstantinstrasse 110, D- 53179 Bonn, Germany Nat QUANSAH Tel ++49/228/9543-432, Fax ++49/228/9543-470 WWF Madagascar, Villa Manongarivo, LOT IIK 21FP, Any article that is not signed by an author´s name is in the resposibility of Soavimasoandro Antananarivo the Co-Chairs. 101, Madagaskar Tel. ++261/2/348-85 Fax ++261/2/348-88

8 Medicinal Plant Conservation 1