The tale of disappearing medicinal plants

Nesvilli

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posted on 13 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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BANGALORE: Felling of trees for extraction of rare alkaloids is a phenomenon that is slowly wiping away certain species of trees f..

BANGALORE: Felling of trees for extraction of rare alkaloids is a phenomenon that is slowly wiping away certain species of trees from the forests in Western Ghats; but authorities are looking at it as an opportunity to sell reforestation to villages.
Karnataka Medicinal Plants Authority has been researching extraction of rare alkaloids from trees, climbers and shrubs endemic to Western Ghats and is now looking into cultivating saplings to promote largescale cultivation. Explaining the process, chief conservator of Forests and chief executive officer of Karnataka Medicinal Plants Authority, Dr Ravi Ralph says: "The bark of Nothapodytes foetida [Dhurvasane Mara] has traces of alkaloid camptothec, which is used for cancer research. It has been noted that it directly acts on the DNA of the cancerous cell." But officials have refused to go on record due to the unavailability of accurate data that unscientific extraction methods has led to dwindling numbers from the last few years.

The turmeric tree or Harshnia Mara is another plant that the authority is researching following interest shown by pharmaceutical industries. Berberine, an alkaloid used in HIV research, is among other alkaloids found in this woody climber. Researchers say that large quantities of the creeper is required for extraction and like in the previous case the creeper is also fast disappearing.

"Western Ghats stretches over 1,600 kms running through five states. In Karnataka, 60 per cent of the ghats run through it. The ghats have a large percentage of vegetation endemic to it," says Dr Ralph.

He gives the example of saraca asoca (ashoka mara), which is now being actively developed and promoted by the authority following findings where shortage of extracts from the tree has affected the production of popular Ayurvedic medicine Ashokarishtam.