Endangered Medicinal Plants of India and Turkey: Biodiversity Status, Threats, Conservation Strategies, and Future Perspectives

Dipul Kumar Biswas, Sandeep Kumar Verma, Nusret Zencirci

Abstract

This review examines the vital role of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare and biodiversity conservation in India and Turkey. India, a global biodiversity hotspot, harbors about 47,000 plant species, many with medicinal uses, while Turkey supports roughly 10,000 flowering plant taxa and a rich ethnobotanical tradition. The paper traces the historical evolution of traditional medical systems Ayurveda, Unani, and folk practices—and stresses their ongoing relevance to contemporary healthcare. It profiles several threatened medicinal species, including Aegle marmelos, Acorus calamus, Celastrus paniculatus, Commiphora mukul, and Peganum harmala, detailing their therapeutic uses and botanical traits. Rising worldwide demand for herbal remedies has intensified pressures like overharvesting, habitat loss, and population decline. The review presents conservation strategies ex situ preservation, germplasm banking, tissue culture, micropropagation, and other biotechnological methods—as effective means to protect endangered taxa. It concludes that sustainable use, increased public awareness, scientifically guided management, and coordinated efforts among researchers, conservationists, and policymakers are crucial to maintain medicinal plant diversity. The paper also highlights plant tissue culture and modern biotechnologies as valuable tools for rapid propagation and long-term conservation of rare medicinal species.