Towards sustainable development: the role of taxonomy and biotechnology in the conservation of Philippine medicinal plants

The World Summit on Sustainable Development held in August 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa underscored the dire need for proper management of the world's fast dwindling natural resources. The whole of the Philippine archipelago is named one of the 18 threatened botanical hotspots of the world (Anderson, J.M., 2001). Fifty five percent of our wetland forests had been destroyed just in the last 50 years. This included the medicinal plants. Ethnobotanical studies conducted in the different regions of the country through the years showed the dependence of the population on medicinal plants for its primary health care. This was well observed in island communities devoid of clinics and drugstores like Palaui off the coasts of Cagayan [Philippines]. An inventory of medicinal plants in selected old-growth and residual forest in Palawan, Camarines Norte and Sur, Davao Oriental and Agusan del Sur further indicated that the collection of the plants from the wild was typical. It is still the same norm. Flora, predominant ailments and preferred types of herbal preparations different in the said areas but it was common observation that some of medicinal plants in use were known in other countries to contain substances detrimental to health. Likewise, misidentification of the plants used for herbal preparation is not uncommon. Initiative to include medicinal plants in community-based forest management has started. The need for taxonomy capacity building is evident. An initial list of medicinal and poisonous plants of Mt. Pulag, Benguet, based purely on the plant's botanic identity and published literature indicated that even the montane grasslands and mossy forests are also rich in medicinal plants. Unfortunately, both the traditional use of medicinal plants in the countryside and the upsurge of its marketing in the urban areas tax the dwindling reserve of their important commodity. Biotechnology is one way of augmenting the medicinal plant reserve. Tissue cultures of Catharanthus roseus and other plants proved capable of producing biologically active substances in vitro. Plant product yield can be increased through elicitation and other techniques. Somatic embryogenesis in Foeniculum vulgare and other Apiaceae species exhibited this as a good ex situ conservation technique. Field tests revealed regenerants were superior to the zygotic plants in number of flower and fruit yields. Transformation through Agrobacterium rhizogenes proved possible for selected medicinal plants. Hairy root cultures of C. roseus, Morinda citrifolia and Raphanus sativus were established while problems in culturing Lagerstroemia speciosa and other plants tested were noted. Transformed root cultures provide alternative source of therapeutic substances. Through such techniques in biotechnology, backed by taxonomy, local medicinal plants can better be studied and conserved. Through studies along these fields, the academe can play a major role in the sustainable development of the country