Plant part substitution as a sustainable conservation strategy for some medicinal plants based on phytochemical equivalence

Abstract

Abstract Medicinal flora represents an essential source of bioactive substances for both conventional and contemporary medicine; nevertheless, excessive extraction of non-renewable parts such as roots, bark, and heartwood has led to significant reductions in wild populations, especially among endemic and slow-growing species. This review proposes and evaluates the substitution of plant parts by replacing vulnerable bark and roots with renewable aerial parts, using published evidence of phytochemical equivalence for sustainable conservation of medicinal plants. This review provides an outline of the published evidence for five representative medicinal plants Myrica esculenta , Pelargonium sidoides , Warburgia salutaris , Litsea chinensis and Aegle marmelos for screening phytochemical similarities between traditional and renewable plant parts. The available studies report the occurrence of shared bioactive constituents including gallic acid, protocatechuic acid salicylic acid, warburganal, polygodial, flavonoids and phenolic compounds although quantitative similarities vary among species. Evidence exists that renewable aerial parts may be possible alternatives to destructively harvested bark and roots, where phytochemical equivalence is supported by analytical techniques such as HPTLC, HPLC or LC–MS/MS. The review also discusses opportunities, limitations and future research required for the implementation of plant part substitution in the conservation of medicinal plants, sustainable harvesting practices and policy frameworks aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nagoya Protocol, WHO-IUCN-WWF policy and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 13 and 15).