Overharvesting Herbs
Overharvesting of plants has been an issue for a long time now. Among the top natural healers that are at risk there are American Ginseng, used to improve memory; Black Cohosh, a common ingredient in natural menopausal treatments; Echinacea, for treating and preventing the common cold; and Golden Seal, which lowers blood pressure and has anti-bacterial properties.
These herbs are commonly used among herbalists. Herbalists have become increasingly aware of the overharvesting of these plants. A lot of suppliers now list that their herbs are wild crafted, meaning they are carefully taken from nature leaving adequate amounts in the ground to grow and propagate on their own.
Drug Companies Part
But now there is a new list out. These are plants that are used in prescription drugs. Many corporate companies are well known for their disinterest in nature and the environment. Every day there is just more proof of this to be true. The Himalayan Yew (Taxus wallichiana) is used in the anti-cancer drug Paclitaxel. The Pepper-bark tree (Warburgia) is used to fight malaria. Snakeroot (Rauwolfia)has an ingredient in Respirin which is used to treat high-blood pressure. These are just a few plants that are at risk of extinction.
There are other factors that affect the outcome of these plants too. Pollution, habitat destruction, and other species invading the habitat are all things that can push a plant into extinction. Some things we don’t have much control over. Some things we do.
Some Simple Answers
Some say cultivation may be the answer. This is tricky, though. A plant grows naturally where it grows for a reason. It has all the right conditions to grow. Light, moisture, and just the right mix of soil allow it to grow. If the conditions weren’t just right, it wouldn’t grow there. And all these conditions give the plant the medicinal value it has. Cultivating a medicinal crop takes money and time and patience to get it just right. It is a lot of work and maybe not worth the effort.
So what is the answer? One thing to do is to find out what plants are native to the area you live in. Use them to restore our habitat. Wildflower.org has an interactive map to help find native plants. Plantsavers.org and RedList show all species that are in danger of becoming extinct.
The plants aren’t gone yet. They are such a valuable resource to us and to our environment. It’s not to late to make a difference and this is a simple, inexpensive thing to do to help.
