Medicinal plants resources of Pakistan on which all forms of traditional medicinal system are based are depleting rapidly, says a study carried out on the topic of "traditional systems of medicines and medicinal plants resources of Pakistan".
The study was carried out jointly by Minister for Science & Technology Professor Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, Director HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi Professor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry, Director (Acting) of the HEJ Research Institute and M. Abdul Qayyum of HEJ.
The study also showed that the survival of many species of medicinal value has been threatened through over harvesting and habitat destruction.
Talking to a group of researchers, Dr M. Iqbal Chaudhry said that the study represented the status of trade and export of medicinal plants and the status of traditional remedies of Pakistan.
According to study, an estimated 80% of the rural population of Pakistan depends on traditional medicines for their primary healthcare need, majority of which use plants or their active principles, while the complete flora of Pakistan has not yet been documented.
Professor S. Ali and co-workers have so far published 210 volumes of flora, which do not include many large families such as Composite and Asteraceae.
In Pakistan, study revealed, there are about 2,000 estimated species of medicinal plants of which 400 are extensively used in traditional medicines.
Commercially exploited medicinal plants occur mainly in alpine and high-altitude regions, temperature-mountain forests, sub-tropical foothill forests and semi-arid scrub lands in the country.