Cultivos Tropicales ISSN: 0258-5936 [email protected] Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas Cuba Pérez Álvarez, Sandra; Cossio Vargas, Luis E.; Cabezas Montero, Daniel; Tamara Nikolayevna, Stikhareva; Vitaliy Yurevich, Kirillov; Nurgul Burkitbayevna, Kazangapova; Nadezhda Konstantinovna, Chebotko; Osman, Yasser A. H.; I. S. Ahmed, Ahmed MEDICINAL HERBS, GREAT POTENTIAL AND ENDANGERED PROBLEMS IN ASIA (KAZAKHSTAN), AFRICA (EGYPT) AND AMERICA (CUBA) Cultivos Tropicales, vol. 35, núm. 3, julio-septiembre, 2014, pp. 5-16 Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas La Habana, Cuba Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=193232155001 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Cultivos Tropicales, 2014, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 5-16 julio-septiembre ISSN impreso: 0258-5936 Ministerio de Educación Superior. Cuba ISSN digital: 1819-4087 Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas http://ediciones.inca.edu.cu Review MEDICINAL HERBS, GREAT POTENTIAL AND ENDANGERED PROBLEMS IN ASIA (KAZAKHSTAN), AFRICA (EGYPT) AND AMERICA (CUBA) Revisión bibliográfica Plantas medicinales, gran potencial y problemas de extinción en Asia (Kazajstán), África (Egipto) y América (Cuba) Sandra Pérez Álvarez, Luis E. Cossio Vargas), Daniel Cabezas Montero, Stikhareva Tamara Nikolayevna, Kirillov Vitaliy Yurevich, Kazangapova Nurgul Burkitbayevna, Chebotko Nadezhda Konstantinovna, Yasser A. H. Osman and Ahmed I. S. Ahmed ABSTRACT. The damage that world biodiversity is facing RESUMEN. Los daños que la biodiversidad mundial sufre this days and their negative impact in the obtainment of new actualmente y su impacto negativo en la obtención de nuevas molecule of therapeutic interest is a sad reality, because there moléculas de interés terapéutico es una triste realidad, porque are species that have been disappear from this planet. The aim hay especies que han desaparecido del planeta. El objetivo of this review is to analyze the great potential and endangered de esta revisión es analizar el gran potencial y problemas problems of some medicinal plants in three countries as a de extinción de algunas plantas medicinales en tres países representation of three continents of our planet. Analysis of diferentes como una representación de tres continentes de flora of some herbaceous plants in Kazakhstan has shown nuestro planeta. El análisis de la flora de algunas plantas that about 40 % of sorts presented in its composition have herbáceas en Kazajstán mostró que alrededor del 40 % de las economic importance. In Egypt up to 95 % of its lands are especies presentes tienen importancia económica. En Egipto deserts. One of the most valuable treasures that can be found el 95 % de sus tierras son desiertos. Uno de los tesoros más in those deserts are Medicinal and Aromatic plants where is valiosos que puede encontrarse en esos desiertos son las plantas possible to find 30 economically cultivated species. In Cuba Medicinales y Aromáticas donde es posible hallar 30 especies medicinal plant species amount to 1 241 (97 are endemic económicamente cultivadas. En Cuba la cantidad de plantas ones), which belong to 725 genera from 172 families. Among medicinales es de 1 241 (97 son endémicas), las que pertenecen them, 17 species, which have the same quantity of genera a 725 géneros de 172 familias. Entre estas plantas, 17 especies, and families, are in the endangered categories and from las cuales tienen la misma cantidad de género y familia, están en them 4 are critically endangered. Medicinal herbs are taking la categoría de amenazadas, y de estas 4 están críticamente en their place alongside the likes of bioenergy crops, sources of peligro. Las plantas medicinales están tomando su lugar junto renewable industrial feed stocks and bioremedials as potential a los cultivos bioenergéticos, fuente de energía renovable para beneficiaries of technological solutions. For this reasons las industrias y bioremediales como beneficiarios potenciales scientific community most pay attention to this important de soluciones tecnológicas. Por estas razones la comunidad source of plants especially to those that are endangered. científica debe prestar atención a esta importante fuente de plantas especialmente a aquellas que se encuentran amenazadas. Key words: medicinal plants, biodiversity, Kazakhstan, Palabras clave: plantas medicinales, biodiversidad, Egypt, Cuba Kazajstán, Egipto, Cuba PhD. Sandra Pérez Álvarez and PhD. Luis E. Cossio Vargas, National Research Institute of Foresty, Agriculture and livestock (INIFAP)-Experimental Campus Uruapan, ave: Latinoamericana No. 1101, Col. Revolución, Uruapan, Michoacán, México; PhD. Daniel Cabezas Montero, Agrarian University of Havana, carretera Tapaste, km 22 ½, San José de las Lajas, Mayebeque, Cuba; PhD. Stikhareva Tamara Nikolayevna, PhD. Kirillov Vitaliy Yurevich, PhD. Kazangapova Nurgul Burkitbayevna and PhD. Chebotko Nadezhda Konstantinovna, Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Forestry, 58 Kirov str., Town of Shchuchinsk, Akmola Region, Kazakhstan, 021704; PhD. Yasser A. H. Osman, Medicinal and Aromatic plants production Unit, Medicinal and Aromatic plants Dept., Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt and PhD. Ahmed I. S. Ahmed, Plant Pathology Unit, Plant Protection Dept., Desert Research Center, Egypt. ) [email protected] 5 Cultivos Tropicales, 2014, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 5-16 julio-septiembre INTRODUCTION In Kazakhstan many sorts are KAZAKHSTAN recognized by state pharmacopeia Medicinal plants are one of and used in official medicine. EDICINAL LANTS WITH REAT most valuable groups, attracting However quantitative indices M P G attention of specialists in different of separate sorts vary greatly, POTENTIAL scientific directions. The number besides among them there are The given species of herbs are of chemical agents derivable from rare sorts requiring protection. So, chosen for this paper because they plants is growing and it opens for practical use it is possible to solved the official pharmacopoeia new groups of combinations. recommend only small quantity of not only in Kazakhstan but also in However, popularity of medicinal all the sorts sprouting in the region. the countries of the Commonwealth herbs does not fall, but quite the In Egypt Medicinal and of Independent States. Their contrary, continues to grow. In aromatic plants (MAP) are playing beneficial properties are studied spite of enormous achievements of an important role in many fields, deeply and it has practical chemistry and production of large including pharmaceuticals, use for a long time, also these quantity of synthetic preparations, cosmetics, production of spices, species of plants are reducing medicinal herbs are of great natural pesticides closely linked to their magnitude due to increased importance, and amounts of their public health issues, food for both anthropogenic impact, and the stocking up grow steadily (1). human and animals. As early as reduction of natural habitat, thanks The use of traditional 3000 B.C., the ancient Egyptians to massive indiscriminate charges medicine and medicinal plants put much confidence in plants for for their decorative or other useful in most developing countries, curing their diseases. Up till now, the properties (8). as a normative basis for the same confidence still exists among - Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) maintenance of good health, contemporary Egyptians and a (Figure 1) – is found on clearings, has been widely observed (2) “turn back” to “remedy by herbs” glades and in pine forest of fresh Furthermore, an increasing is now becoming global rather types of site conditions with the reliance on the use of medicinal than regional or national request. stock of overground phytomass plants in the industrialized societies Till now no limit for exportation from 4 kg.ha-1 in pine forest to has been traced to the extraction value where rate of exportation 38 kg.ha-1 on clearings, and development of several drugs of medicinal and aromatic plants but in places of the and chemotherapeutics from these in Egypt if follow international largest concentration - to plants as well as from traditionally standers for production of MAP 497 kg.ha-1. The herb is used used rural herbal remedies (2). (4, 5, 6). in official pharmacopeia as Moreover, in these societies, herbal In the island of Cuba natural antiphlogistic, wound healing remedies have become more disasters in form of almost yearly and styptic agents. popular in the treatment of minor hurricanes and lack of products on - Green strawberry (Fragaria viridis ailments, and also on account of the markets leading to a reliance Duch.) (Figure 2) - sprouts, the increasing costs of personal on the local natural resources, basically, on forest clearings of health maintenance. Indeed, the create a heavy pressure on the fresh and dry types, where the market and public demand has Cuban biodiversity (7). The need stock of overground phytomass been so great that there is a great for research on Cuban floral reaches 260 kg.ha-1. Fruit is a risk that many medicinal plants biodiversity and the use of Cuban valuable raw material; however, today, face either extinction or loss natural resources and public herb is used in folk medicine. of genetic diversity. information about endangered - Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) Genetic biodiversity of plants