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Articles

ISSUES IN MEDICINAL PLANT TRADE
By Anjana Mudappa

The dramatic increase in exports of medicinal plants in the past decade testifies to the worldwide interest in these products as well as in traditional health systems. Records over the last 10 years have shown that Indian exports of medicinal plants have trebled. But, as these plants are predominantly of wild origin, hundreds of species are now threatened with extinction because of over-harvesting, destructive collection techniques, and conversion of habitats to crop-based agriculture. Open access to medicinal plants in the wild is perhaps one of the main reasons for the current unsustainable levels of harvesting.

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In terms of the volume and value of medicinal plants exported, India ranks second in the world. Data on exports of medicinal plants from India over the years 1990-91 to 1993-94, consolidated by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority of the Ministry of Commerce lists 21 commodity groups.

Intellectual property rights
-appropriating biodiversity and people's knowledge
By Madhav Gadgil, Utkarsh Ghate and P R Sheshagiri Rao

IPRs are meant to assure rewards to innovators and are claimed to have been an important driving force behind the rapid industrial growth in the developed world.

The Protection of Medicinal Plants in India
By Sangeeta Udgaonkar 

Historically, all medicinal preparations were derived from plants, whether in the simple form of plant parts or in the more complex form of crude extracts, mixtures, etc. Today, a substantial number of drugs are developed from plants. The majority of these involve the isolation of the active ingredient (chemical compound) found in a particular medicinal plant and its subsequent modification. A semi-synthetic analogue of such a compound could typically be a useful pharmaceutical product.