Which are Endangered medicinal plants find in India?
According to the Red List of threatened Species 44 plant species are critically endangered, 113 endangered and 87 vulnerable (IUCN, 2000). Widespread loses of plant species and varieties are eroding the foundation of agricultural productivity and threatening other plant based products used by billions of people worldwide. And worldwide, some 3.5 billion people in developing countries rely on plantbased medicine from primary healthcare. Loss of habitat, pressure from nonactive species, and over harvesting has put one out of every eight plant species at risk of extinction, according to the World Conservation Union. Many medicinal plants are also in trouble from over harvesting and destruction of habitat. Since less than 1 per cent of all species have been screened for bioactive compounds, every loss of a unique habitat and its species is potentially a loss of future drugs and medicines.
