Native medicinal plants commercialized in Brazil - priorities for conservation

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2009-09, Vol.156 (1-4), p.567-580
• Main Authors: de Melo, Joabe Gomes, de Amorim, Elba Lúcia Cavalcanti, de Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biological and medical sciences; Biological conservation; Brazil; Brazilian medicinal plants; Conservation; Conservation of Natural Resources - methods; Drug stores; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Flowers & plants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Herbal medicine; Indigenous species; Industrial products; Medicinal plants; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Native species; Natural populations; Natural resources; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacy; Phytotherapy; Plant drugs; Plants, Medicinal; Pollution; Species diversity; Studies
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-008-0506-0

A majority of the native medicinal plants that are commercialized in Brazil are harvested from natural populations. In addition to this essentially unrestrained collecting, these plants have been heavily impacted by the cutting and the fragmentation of forest formations throughout the country. Considering the limited availability of natural resources, threats to species diversity, and the necessity of conservation efforts in light of the rapid exhaustion of natural ecosystems, it is becoming exceedingly important to establish conservation priorities. The present work sought to identify the native medicinal plants harvested for industrial purposes and to establish conservation priorities for the species of highest commercial value. To that end, a survey of Brazilian industrial products that use medicinal plants was undertaken in 54 shops in the city of Recife (Pernambuco, NE Brazil). The survey noted information concerning the commercial name of the product, its plant composition and pharmaceutical presentation, therapeutic indications, as well as the laboratory that produced it. Only native species were considered. A total of 74 different native species used to produce more than 300 types of products were encountered in the present survey. Twelve species demonstrated significant versatility (Species which had the highest numbers of different therapeutic indications and body systems), and 58.33% of these plants were trees. Destructive collecting predominates (58.11%), greatly affecting taxa collected exclusively from wild populations (86.49%). The intensive use of exclusively wild species and the destructive harvesting techniques employed in gathering them create serious problems that will threaten the availability of these resources to future generations.