Herbal Harvest with a Future: Towards
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HERBAL HARVESTS WITH A FUTURE Towards sustainable sources for medicinal plants Plantlife International Plantlife International is a charity dedicated exclusively to conserving all forms of plant life, in their natural habitats, in the UK, Europe and across the world. We act directly to stop common wild plants becoming rare in the wild, to rescue wild plants on the brink of extinction and to protect sites of exceptional botanical importance. We carry out practical conservation work, influence relevant policy,and collaborate widely to promote the cause of wild plant conservation. Plantlife International 14 Rollestone Street Salisbury Wiltshire, SP1 1DX UK Tel:+44 (0)1722 342730 Fax: +44 (0)1722 329035 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.plantlife.org.uk Acknowledgements Plantlife International is extremely grateful for the advice and support of Susanne Schmidt and Alan Hamilton of WWF-UK and James Fearnley from the Herbal Apothecary (Planet Herbs) in the development of this report. The original idea was developed in consultation with the Medicinal Plant Sustainability Forum. We extend our gratitude to Sarah Laird of Rainforest Alliance for providing the questionnaire design used in the research. Data from this UK report were also analysed as part of the global survey by the Rainforest Alliance study (Laird and Pierce, 2002). Finally,Plantlife International and Julie Behrens are extremely grateful to representatives from those organisations that participated in the research, especially Baldwin and Co., Body Shop, Boots, Chinese Medicine Association of Suppliers,Europam (European Herbs Growers Asssociation), GNC, Grannery Herbs, Herbal Botanics, Herbal Food Manufacture Association, National Herb Centre, National Institute of Herbal Medicine, Neals Yard Remedies, Potters, Proline Botanicals, Quest Vitamins Ltd.,Rutland Organic, Solgar UK,The Herb Exchange Ltd., and the University of Westminster. Written by Gail Vines based on research by Julia Behrens. Julia Behrens 9 Walpole Terrace Brighton, Sussex BN2 2EB A copy of the full research report is available on request from Plantlife International. This is a Plantlife International project conducted in collaboration with the Herbal Apothecary (Planet Herbs) and WWF-UK HERBAL HARVESTS WITH A FUTURE Towards sustainable sources for medicinal plants In a nutshell Part 1: Setting the scene The importance of the herbal medicine Ancient medicines, new dilemmas medicine are cultivated, in terms of the industry is growing. More than 80 per cent of number of species utilized, the great majority the world’s population depends on herbal Perhaps because a delight in wild plants seems are still collected from the wild. Some of medicine for their primary health care and to us the most natural and innocent of these are common and fast-growing and more than a quarter of the United Kingdom emotions, it’s easy to forget that, in much of there is no conservation concern. However, population use herbal medicine regularly. the world, wild species are prized as much for others are more vulnerable with their Most material used in herbal medicine and their value as food or as medicinal remedies. populations becoming diminished.The vitamin supplements is taken from wild plants The World Health Organization estimates dangers are genetic erosion of populations, and the rapidly growing demand for medicinal that more than 80 per cent of the world local extinction and habitat degradation. plants, compounded by habitat loss, is putting population depends primarily on herbal pressure on many species. The need for medicine for their basic healthcare needs. As any school child knows, plants are the action is recognised in the Global Strategy for foundation upon which the rest of life Plant Conservation targets agreed by the Today,the ancient art of herbal medicine is depends. Without wild plants the animal Parties to the Convention on Biological undergoing something of a renaissance in the kingdom would vanish. Indeed, the life- Diversity. Research conducted for this paper developed world. Four UK universities support systems of the planet can only be included interviews with a number of people currently offer BSc degrees in herbal medicine, maintained by protecting plant diversity.If we connected with the UK herbal medicine reflecting the resurgence of interest in are to continue to benefit from wild plants, industry.The results are a set of traditional botanical treatments for a wide for example through medicine, Plantlife recommendations aimed at achieving greater variety of ills. In one recent British poll, a International believes that they must be used sustainability throughout the industry. quarter of the people surveyed said they use sustainably.This is why we are committed to Plantlife International proposes the herbal medicine regularly. Not surprisingly, the principles of sustainable use as enshrined introduction of certification schemes with herbalism has become big business: in 1994, for in the Convention on Biological Diversity appropriate chain of custody mechanisms, the instance, £88 million of herbal medicines and agreed at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. development of a code of practice for health foods were imported into Britain alone. This also explains why we worked for and will industry,the incorporation of sustainability help to implement the Global Strategy for principles in law, more support for cultivation This remarkable revival raises new dilemmas Plant Conservation.Three of the sixteen and a new programme of research and for plant conservationists.Although some targets commit governments to use plants education. plant species used in large quantities in herbal sustainably. A quarter of the British population use herbal medicine regularly Joe Sutton/Plantlife Joe HERBAL HARVESTS WITH A FUTURE 3 Uncontrolled harvesting from the wild Why conservation action is uva-ursi – are used in treatments for kidney urgently needed or digestive problems, yet often the whole plant is uprooted. If only the required parts of The pressure on wild plant communities can the plant had been collected, it might not be substantial. In Europe alone, for instance, now be so rare in Albania,Bulgaria, the Czech some 1300 medicinal plants are used Republic, Romania and the Netherlands. commercially,with up to 90 per cent collected from the wild.Worldwide, some Sometimes the damage can lead to two-thirds of all medicinal plants are degradation of habitats. Industrial-scale harvested from the wild. Most raw material in harvesting of wild thyme Thymus spp. in Spain international trade comes from Europe, involves the uprooting of whole plants and North America,India and China, where wild can lead to extensive soil erosion. In addition, collection is often an important part of rural some rare species of thyme are becoming economies. endangered through indiscriminant collection. Similar problems with unsuitable At the moment, wasteful harvesting harvesting methods have been experienced techniques are commonplace. For instance, in the case of kava kava Piper methysticum in only the leaves of the bearberry Arctostaphylos the South Pacific. The main active ingredients Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva- ursi leaves help relieve kidney or digestive problems 4 HERBAL HARVESTS WITH A FUTURE Market trader selling ginseng, Quinghan Dao, N E China David Tipling/Nature Tipling/Nature David PL kava are found in the roots and rootstocks, in both Hungary and Turkey.Many other and are a group of compounds known as the commonly used medicinal plants are under kavalactones. In one incident in 1996, 17 threat, including unicorn root Chamaelirium people died in a landslide that followed clear- luteum, goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis and harvesting. American ginseng Panax quinquefolius. Asian ginseng Panax ginseng is also rare in the wild The plight of liquorice Glycyrrhiza glabra, now, although the huge demand is now popularly used in cough syrups, toothpastes, mostly supplied by cultivation especially in drink flavourings, cakes and fire extinguishers, Korea. hints at the scale of the problem. Europe imported some 6000 tonnes of the root in The challenge for everyone – herbalist and 1996, mostly from Asia,and, in the same year, conservationist alike – is to find ways to exported 2700 tonnes.A huge decline in support the use of herbal medicine without exports from Turkey,Europe’s biggest fostering the overexploitation of the world’s exporter – from 3040 tonnes in 1991 to only wild plants. At the moment, the trade in 985 tonnes in 1996 – reflects the growing medicinal plants is huge, and largely impact of non-sustainable harvesting.The unmonitored. It is highly likely that many plant is now rare in Bulgaria and threatened harvesting practices are at present unsustainable, threatening populations of medicinal plants and their habitats, and also Industrial-scale harvesting of wild thyme the livelihoods of those people engaged in Thymus spp. in Spain involves the uprooting of whole plants and can lead to extensive their collection.Urgent action is needed to soil erosion. find workable global solutions. HERBAL HARVESTS WITH A FUTURE 5 All orchids are listed on Appendix II of CITES and some such as green-winged orchid Orchis morio are used to make salep and for making hot drinks Routes to regulation and ice-cream. Legislation today lacks non-native European species are listed on abolition of internal borders.The revised EU sustainability clause Appendix II. regulations are stricter than those of CITES and include additional ‘at risk’ categories. Current legislation is unable to ensure that TRAFFIC, established in 1976 as a joint One of these categories refers to ‘species in medicinal plants are exploited in sustainable programme of the World Wildlife Fund need of monitoring’. For example, it includes ways. At the global level, the regulation of (WWF) and the World Conservation Union arnica (also known as leopard’s bane) Arnica international trade in botanicals (and other (IUCN) is a non-governmental organisation montana, bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, plant, as well as animal, species) is covered by which works closely with the CITES yellow gentian Gentiana lutea, and bogbean CITES, the Convention for International Trade Secretariat.