Complementary and alternative medicine research, prospects and limitations in Pakistan: A literature review

This review article is an effort to analyze the status of medicinal plants research in Pakistan. According to an estimate, about 6000 plant species are present in Pakistan ofwhich about 700 have medicinal importance. The majority of the local population in Pakistan depends on therapeutic plants. Various Pakistani institutes are conducting research on medical plants. Pakistan is at the center of the international herbal market. The Pakistan position in the international herbal market in import is 9th and in export is 10th. In 2002 the market value of therapeutic and aromatic plants sold globallywas estimated at 62 billion US$, and 2018 it had increased to 131.4 billion. This means medicinal plants are the income source for people, and if the medicinal flora is not managed properly, this may result in habitat destruction, as well as species extinction. For ex-situ conservation of medicinal plants, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan is working with universities to establish botanical gardens. The government also needs to take steps to enforce stricter laws for conservation, to find sustainable ways to harvest medicinal plants from the wild, to educate native collectors in suitable collection methods, to train the local community how to grow therapeutic herbs, and to eliminate the middle-men from the trading chain.