5cienti5t5 Calculate ~~~-~~~~' ATLEA5T ~-~~~~'~ :328 New Drugs Could Be Developed From ~~~~Tropical Rain Forests•444 by Ginger Webb Tropical forests cover approximately 3.1 billion hectares (7. 7 5 The authors emphasize the importance of answering questions billion acres) of our earth and provide the natural habitat for about of who can purchase genetic material and who can sell it before half, or 125,000, of the world's flowering plant and cone-bearing securing the potential value from the rainforest. The issue of who species. Pharmaceutical drugs, including vincristine, vinblastine, can sell is especially important for the bigger issue of conserving curare, quinine and cocaine, have already been derived from some the tropical rainforests. They write that "the existence of undiscov­ of these tropical plants. In an article published in Economic Botany, ered pharmaceuticals for modern medicine has often been cited as Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, an economist at Yale University, and Dr. one of the most important reasons to protect tropical forests"; it has Michael J. Balick, director of the Institute for Economic Botany at also been cited as a way of offering possible financial incentive to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, present their estimates halt deforestation. The competition created by allowing any and all of the minimum number of pharmaceutical drugs potentially remain­ owners of a plant to sell a sample to a drug company would drive ing to be derived from the higher plants in the rainforests of the that plant's market value down to zero. It follows, then, that in order world. Their projections, not intended to be limitations as to the to have the most significant impact on conservation, "the financial future possibility for drug development, but actuall y estimating a gains from developing drugs from a given species must belong to all minimum amount of new drugs that could be developed from owners of the species," and that some sharing mechanism must be rainforest plants, show that there are at least 328 new drugs that still developed for that purpose. Mendelsohn, in the Times article, sug­ await discovery and development through the proper screening of gests that more pharmaceutical companies comb the rainforests for rainforest plants. potential drugs, the way Merck & Company is doing in Costa Rica, Mendelsohn and Balick arrived at this figure by first estimat­ and pay countries for the right to do so, thereby providing an eco­ ing and averaging the number of plant parts each of the 125 ,000 nomic incentive for them not to develop that land. He also suggests flowering plant species living in tropical forests would yield (n=3) that the federal government subsidize drug research because of the and the number of extraction processes (n=2) that could be performed potential value of new drugs to the whole of society. In a follow-up on each plant part. They determined from these estimations that comment, Balick pointed out that the 125,000 higher plants present there are about 750,000 potential extracts obtainable from tropical in the tropics comprise about 2.5 percent of the 5,000,000 organ­ forest species; multiplying this number by the number of screens isms thought to be found there. Thus, when loobng at the potential (n=500) that could be run if the samples were shared across compa­ of all tropical organisms as sources of new pharmaceuticals, it ap­ nies, they found that there could be as many as 375 million indi­ pears that the number, if it could be estimated, would be manyfold vidual tests to be run from this group of tropical plants. Experience greater than the 328 estimated from higher plants alone. with such botanical drug screening and testing has suggested that, conservatively, one in a mjllion tests results in a pharmaceutical suit­ [References: Mendelsohn, R., and Balick, M. J. 1995. The able for commerce; if 375 million tests are possible, then there is a Value of Undiscovered Pharmaceuticals in Tropical Forests. Eco­ potential for at least 375 new drugs to be found. Forty-seven of nomic Botany, Vol. 49, No. 2:223-228. Available as Classic Reprint them have already been found and developed; at least 328 drugs, #253. Cheng, Vicb. 1995. 328 Useful Drugs Are Said to Lie Hid­ therefore, remain undiscovered. den in Tropical Forests. New York Times, Tuesday, June 27.] The potential value of these new drugs was also examined; the authors found that "a complete collection and screening of all tropical plant species should be worth about $3-4 billion to a private pharmaceutical company and as much as $147 billion to society as a whole." Balick commented on this estimate in a New York Times Illustration "The Trap" ©Amazonian School of Painting & article: "Because this estimate is built on so many numbers and so Harry Mires. 11 .03.95 . Gouache on paper, 22 ' x 30". many assumptions, we realize the uncertainty and fully expect that For more information about the paintings or the project, as future studies are published, researchers will bring in additional phone 904/439-5999 or visit the data which will allow for even greater precision." World Wide Web: http://sensorium .com . 2 • HE RBALGRAM 36 .A L. Board of Trustees Dear Reader Herb Mark Blumenthal FDA has published proposed Research Executive Diredor regulations to implement the Dietary ~f Supplement Health and Education Act. Foundation fM James A. Duke, Ph.D. Consistent with FDA's previous state­ Professional Advisory Board ERIGAN ments, the complex and lengthy rules of­ Each issue of H ERBA!GRAM is reviewed by BoTANICAL fer minimal guidance on the evaluation members of the Herb Research Foundation COUNCIL Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D. Professional Advisory Board prior to of structure and function claims for publication. supplements. Presumably, FDA will pre­ Presiden t-Rob McCaleb fer to litigate any claim with which it may Glenn Appelt, Ph.D. take issue, choosing them carefully on Professor of Pharmacology HmJwGIMM a case-by-case basis. Uni versity of Colorado, Boulder In this issue we offer another up­ John A. Beutler, Ph.D. Mark Blumenthal Editor /Publisher date on the public debate on the safety of Natural Products Chemist Bar baroJo hnston Managing Editor rna huang (ephedra) with a report on a National Cancer Institute Rob McCaleb Technical Editor RobertA. Bye, Jr., Ph.D. hearing held October 1995 by FDA ex­ Professor of Ethnobotany Ginger Hudso n·Moffei Art Director pert panel's in Washington, D. C. FDA's National University of Mexico Penny King Coordinator own experts have recommended against Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D. Steven Foster Associate Editor banning the herb; instead, they propose Director, Institute for Trad iti onal Medicine and Preventive Health Care proper warning labels and dosage limita­ James A. Duke, Ph.D. Contributing Editors tions. Economic Botanist Dennis V. C. Awong, Ph .D. With increased attention being U. S. Department of Agriculture Wayne Armstrong given to quality control standards for Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D. Ko ren Dean herbs, we present Professor Clifford Research Professor of Pharmacognosy and Senior University Scholar James A. Duke, Ph.D. Foust's intriguing article on the history University of Illinois at Chicago No rman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D. of rhubarb, the Chinese herb imported to Richard I. Ford, Ph.D. Ch ristopher Hobbs Middle East and later Europe via the Professor of Ethnobotany University of Michigan Steven R. King, Ph.D. fabled Silk Road. Development of Peter Landes pharmacopeia! standards for this classic Harriet Kuhnlein, Ph.D. Professor of Nutrition Al bert Y. Leung, Ph.D. laxative drug was elusive for centuries. McGill Uni versity Aro De r Morderosion, Ph.D. Those seeking herbal information Albert Leung, Ph.D. will appreciate Michael Flannery's article Pharmacognos ist Vorro E. Tyler, Ph.D. on the Lloyd Library and Museum, prob­ Glen Rock, New Jersey AndrewT. Weil, M.D. ably the largest library of pharmacognosy Walter Lewis, Ph.D. Professor of Bi ology Circulation/Classified Advertising Manager literature in the western hemisphere. Washington University Our pictorial essay of Eric Ranger's Ara Der Marderosian, Ph.D. Margaret Wright collection of postage stamps depicting Professor of Pharmacognosy medicinal plants with cardioactive prop­ Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science Woli Stopher Copy Editor James D. McChesney, Ph.D. Ginger Webb Editorial Assistant erties will be of special interest to stamp Pharmacognosist enthusiasts as well as our regular readers. Oxford , Mississ ippi Ko ren Newton Editorial Assistant In our Research Review section we C. Dwayne Ogzewalla, Ph.D. Li ndo Prudhomme Receptionist present summaries of studies on herbs that Professor of Ph armacognosy Vic kie Adams Administration may be able to prevent various types of Uni versity of Cincinn ati Joni Weismonn·McCioin Distribution Robert Rountree, M.D. cancers: ginseng, gotu kola, birch bark Physician Julie Weismonn·McCioin Information Services and bupleurum. Boulder, Colorado Cecelia Thompson Accountant And finally, Peggy Brevoort helps James Ruth, Ph.D. Gayle Engels Book Sales Coordinator answer one of the most nagging questions Professor of Medicinal Chemjstry Uni versity of Colorado George Solis Shipping being asked by many in the U.S. today: E. John Staba, Ph.D. "How big is the U.S. herb market?" Her Professor of Pharmacognosy H ERMiG RAM is published quarterly by the Uni versity of Minnesota article brings research and statistics from American Botani cal Council and the Herb Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D. numerous sources and will help clarify Research F o undation as an educationa l Lill y Distinguished Professor some of the economic questions about this project. Educational and business offices are of Pharmacognosy rapidly expanding market. Purdue Uni versity at the American Botanical Council , P.O.