110243

)Jo
IDRC Lb.
Priorities
for Medicin al Plants
Research and Development
in Pakistan
by
J. T. Williams
MAPPA Consultant
NewDelhi
and
ZahoorAhmad
Director, National Plant Genetic Resources Institute,PARC-NARC
Islamabad
South Asia RegionalOffice, IDRC, Canada
Medicinal andAromatic Plants Program inAsia (MAPPA)
NewDelhi, India.
1999
ARC'-H V
8 CD $
vi5
�1998 International Development Research Centre
All rights reserved. No partofthispublication may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form orby
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
information
storage and retrieval system, withoutpermission in writingfrom the publisher.
Thepresentation of material in this publication doesnotimplytheexpression

ofanyopinion on the
part ofMAPPA or IDRC concerning thelegal status ofanycountry, or the delineation
offrontiers or
boundaries.
Design &production:
Chnst2'pherSamuel
An'stock, NewDe/hi India.
Medicinal & AromaticPlants Program in Asia (MAPPA)

ID RC/SARO
17, Jor Bagh
New Delhi 110003
India.
Contents
Foreword (v)
Acknowledgements (vii)
Executive Summary (ix)
Chapter 1: Cultural Background, Health Systems and the Resource Base 1
1.1 The Plant Resource Base 4
1.2 The Medicinal PlantsSupply 4
1 .3 Colle�tions of Medicinal Plants 5
1.4 Conservation of the Resource Base 6
1.5 Understanding the Wider Resource Base 6
Chapter 2: Economic Background 7
2.1 Herbal Markets 16
2.2 Manufacturers 18
2.3 Constraints and Interventions in Marketing and Manufacturing Herbal Drugs 20
2.4 Exports of Medicinal Plants. 20
2.5 Constituents of Medicinal Plants 22
Chapter 3: The Traditional Health Care System 23
3.1 Government Interventions 25
3.2 Constraints to Promoting Traditional Medicine 26
3.3 New Development Directions 27
Chapter 4: Information and Coordination 29
4.1 General Constraints to Information Flow 31
4.2 Marketing and Socio-Economic Information 32
4.3 Information on Priorities 32
4.4 Access of Researchers to Information 33
4.5 tnformation on Toxicology 33
Chapter 5: Towards a Sustainable Medicinal Plants Sector in Pakistan 35
5.1 Consolidation ofthe Plant Resource Information Base 37
5.2 AssessingMarkets 38
5.3 Urgent Salvaging of Priority Genetic Resourcesand their Evaluation 39
5.4 Urgent Implementation of Cultivation 40
(iii)
PrioritiesforMedicinal Plants Research and DevelopmentinPakistan
5.5 InS/tuConservation and Continued Upgrading of Forestry Practices to 42

Conserve Species Occurring in Specific Ecosystems.
5.6 ExSituConservation for Medium to Long-Term Benefits. 42
5.7 Policy and Education 43
5.8 Future Prospects 44
References 45
Appendices
1. Major Herbal Drug Dealers in Pakistan 47
2. Code of Conduct on Medicinal PlantResearch 53
3. Pokhara Declaration 57
4. Priority Speciesfor which Cultivation Methods are known 59
Tables
1. Medicinal Plants in the Forest Ecosystems of Swat (250-3900m) 5
2. Medicinal Plants Availability and Quantities 9
3. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar Markets of Pakistan 1.
4. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar Markets of Pakistan 17
5. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar markets of Pakistan 17
6. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar Markets of Pakistan 18
7. Formulation for Mufforeh Mo'fadil 18
8. Formulation forMa'jun Anjir 19
21
9. Crude DrugsExported from Pakistan
10 . Tentative Priority Species for New orEnhanced Cultivation 41
(iv)
Foreword
It is reported that more than 1,500 plantspecies with medicinal properties havebeen
used in
Pakistan. Local practitioners of Unani and Folkmedicine are reportedto beregularly
using at least
30 species for the treatment ofcommonailments. There is a greatpotential in
effectively utilizing
these valuable plantresources toimprove theprimaryhealthcaresystem of the rural

communities,
especially in the northern mountain regions of the country. Similarly, there are
opportunities for
rural and tribal peoplesto harness the economic potential of theseplants through a
sustainable
system of utilization.
This report provides an overview of the medicinal plants sector in Pakistan and
identifies
majorissues, focussing on priority areas for research and development. The
conservation and
development activities in medicinal plants are currently facing a number of

constraints such as
lack of information databaseand exchange, coordination &collaboration and R&D fund.
Aholistic
approach of study, research and development isrequired.
The report suggests thatfurtherstudies are needed to gain an in-depth understanding

ofthe
social and institutional context of the market, needs and interests of the key
stakeholders and
development of a centralized system of information base. It also recommends
stronger national
coordination and collaboration among different agencies from both formal and non-
formal sectors
with participation ofthe private sector where possible.
Wehope that theactions and interventions suggestedin the

reportwillfacilitatethedevelopmentof a sustainable and viablemedicinal plants
sector in Pakistan.
Roger Finan Madhav Karki
Regional Director Regional Program Coordinator

South Asia Regional Office (SARO) Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
IDRC, New Delhi Program in Asia (MAPPA)
!DRC/SARO, New Delhi
(v)
Acknowledgments
The authors, on behalf ofthe International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

sincerely
acknowledge the support of a number of indMduals and institutions in completing
this report.
Specifically, we would like to thank the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council
(PARC) for its
encouragement and support to conduct this review. The Director of the National
Agricultural
Research Council (NARC)deserves special thanks for his interest and support tothis
work.
We are grateful to International Development Research Centre (IDRC),

Canadaforfundingthis study through its Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Program in
Asia (MAPPA). We specially
thank Mr. Roger Finan, Regional Director, SARO and Dr. Madhav Karki, the Regional
Program
Coordinator, MAPPA fortheirinterest, guidance and support. Dr.Karki has
reviewedthedocument
and provided veryuseful technicalsuggestions. We thank Ms. RadhikaJohari for her
meticulous
editorial assistance.
We would like to thank all thescientists, ofticials and otherindividuals who

provided us with
information generously and freelywithout whosecooperation, thereportwould not have
taken this
form. We hope that the opportunities highlighted bythis report and information
contained therein
will benefit everyone of them.
Finally,wehope that the information compiled in thisreportwill be avaluable

reference to the
researchers, development planners and conservation workers. Anyomissions and
shortcomings
found in the report are, of course, our own.
TrevorWilliams
ZahoorAhmad
(vii)
Executive Summary
This reportreviews the current status ofthe medicinal plantssector in Pakistan,

focusing on
priority areas forresearch and devebpment.Itreveals theexistence of a strong
classical traditional
medicine sector, based predominantly on the Unani system of medicine, which dates
back to the
lndus valley civilization. This traditional medicine sector provides an important

source of
employment, thoughas yetunquantified, and health care, especially in rural and

tribalareas ofthe
country.
Long standing research on medicinal plants in Pakistan also points to a rich

resource base,
spreadover a wide range of ecological zones, with estimates of numbers of

plantspecies with
medicinal properties varyingfrom3,200species atthe upper end ofthe spectrum to
1,000 atthe
lower end. Of thesespecies, approximately 500 areknownfor their active constituents
fromresearch
conducted in Pakistan and elsewhere, and around 250 to 300 species are known to
have entered
the herbal markets of Pakistan.
However, despitethestrengthsand opportunities forthedevelopment ofthemedicinal

plants
sectordescribed above, it is clear that Pakistan's comparative advantage in
producing materials
for export, as well as for the domestic market, has notbeen fully exploited. This
is largely due to
the fact that atpresent,thereisnoclearlydefinable medicinal plants sector,
resulting intheabsence
of a coordinated approach as well as of clear, result-oriented policies affecting
the sector. Such
policies relate to areas including regulations and trade practices, the promotion
of innovative
conservation measures and the sustainable utilization of medicinal plants.
Constraints exist at all levels of the sector. These are discussed in the report
and include a
fragmented information base;anuncoordinated approach tocollection andmarketing
ofmedicinal
plants; export constraints; training andeducational constraints; institutional and
funding constraints,
and lack of prioritization with regard to species.
Whatisclearlyrequired isan in depth understanding of the social context of the

market, and
thecontributions, interests and roles ofthekeystakeholders involved in the
medicinal plants sector.
These include thecentral government and itsresearch organizations; provincial
governments and
their extensions; the private sector dealing with Unani medicine and the practice
of traditional
medicine, and the collectors, that is, rural and tribal communities. If this base
is broadened to
include international and regionalinformationnetworks,onone hand, and relevant non-
governmental
organizations involved with the collectors and users of medicinal plants on the
other, new and
effectivepartnershipscould emerge.These would makeaninvaluable contribution towards
achievingthe goals of poverty alleviation, environmental and biodiversity
conservation and rationalization
and an increased share of international trade in raw materials relating to
medicinal plants, which
wouldrequire the implementation of government policies and incentives.
(ix)
PrioritiesforMedicinal Plants Research and Developmentin Pakistan
rt
TheGovernment of Pakistan has in place a number of organizations and initiatives

aimed at
strengthening and coordinating various aspects of the sector, supplemented by non-

government
and private sector initiatives. However, stronger coordination of the sector at the
national level is
notby itself sufficientunless appropriate multidisciplinary strategic action has

alreadybeen taken
at the research and development level.
This reportoutlines a number of such actions and interventions, which wouldgreatly

facilitate
progress towardsestablishing a viableand sustainable medicinat plants sector in
Pakistan.
(x)
Priorities
for Medicinal Plants
Research and Development
in Pakistan
Chapter 1
Cultural Background,
Health Systems and the
Resource Base
Chapter1
Cultural Background, Health Systems and the Resource Base
,.
. .
Iii, . . ., . i t.'j ... I.
Although modern day Pakistan contains themajor archaeological sites of the lndus
civilization,
originating from around 4500 BC, the cultural fabric of the country owes much to
two events.
Firstly, the period of Aryan invasions between 4000 and 3500 BC not only created
ethnic
transformations, but also links to the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and
Greece. Further,
international trade relations began to emergeduring this period between the region
and China,
India and the Mediterranean. Secondly, the Muslim conquest of the Indian
subcontinent,
commencing from 1221 AD, led to divergences in religions and cultures,

whichcontinued to co-
existuntil partition.
Thetraditional Indian system ofmedicine, known as Ayurveda, which evolved during

theperiod
commencing from around 2500 BC, had been codified and documented by 600 BC.
Ayurveda
came to be associated with the Hindu peoples, while the Muslim peoples of the
subcontinent
adopted adifferent traditional system known as Unani. Unani traces its
originstoGreekmedicine,
which was adopted by the Arabs and thereafter spread to both Europe as well as to
India. It had
already been enriched bycontacts withChinese and Indian medicine, and with
itsmajorspread in
India under the Muslim rulers, it became incorporated within the Ayurvedic system.
In fact both
systems, Ayurveda and Unani, benefited fromand complemented each other (Bala,1982).
Theroots ofthe Unani system go backtothe materia medicaof numerous

earlycivilizations,
many of which are documented. These include the Ebers Papyrus of Egypt (1500 BC)
which
contains a list of drugs, mostly plant-based; Assyrian. and Babylonian pharmacy
tablets datingfrom 650 BC listing 250 herbs; writingsof Greeks such as
Theophrastus, Plinythe Elder and
Galen, and manyArab texts including Avicenna (written bySheikh Bu Ali Sina,
thefather of modern
Unani), and texts by lbu al-Baitar (1197-1241 AD). The latter travelled widely
through the
Mediterranean and Southwest Asia and consolidated manyearliertexts, producing a
listof 2000
drugs of which 1700 wereherb-based (see Hamdard, 1969 foradetailed treatment
ofthissubject).
Western or allopathic medicine was introduced to British India, primarily in order

to combat
epidemicdiseases. However,traditional medicinal systems continuedtoco-
existformanydecades,
and after the independence ofPakistan theyremainedthe major system ofhealth care,
especially
in rural areas. Althoughthe government of Pakistan has actively promoted allopathic
medicine it
has come to the realization that the traditional systemsalso have a key role to
play, particularly
with regard to primaryhealth care.
The dominant traditional system of medicine in Pakistan is the Unani system. This
reportwill
therefore focusprimarily on this subject. However, itshould be noted that there are
alsonumerous
and diverseuses of plants as home remedies. Homeopathy is becoming increasingly
recognized
and accepted as a system of health care. In a few northern areas, Amchiesand
Sanyasis (as
opposed to the Hakims practising Unani) are the hereditary practitioners of
somewhat secret
medicinal systems which are basicallyAyurvedic in nature. Interestingly,tribal
peoplesin Pakistan
do not appearas in India to have developed major systemsofmedicine, utilizing

instead theUnani
systemofmedicine(Cherla and Holley, 1997). However, theyhave contributed avaluable
knowledgebase of local plants, thoughthe efficacyofthese has notyet been
scientifically studied.
3
ti The Plant Resource Base
Although thecomplete flora of Pakistan is notyet known, it is estimated that there

are about6000
species of higher plants (Stewart, 1972). Estimates of numbers of medicinal plant
species vary
greatly from3200 speciesatthehigherend ofthespectrum (FAO, 1987) to 1000 atthe
lower end.
(Ahmad, 1996). In partthisreflects historical work conducted onflora which has
basically focussed
on taxonomy, with descriptions and plant uses frequently not being stated This was
the case
during the period from 1947 tothe mid I960s during which reports on detailed
medicinal usages
wereincomplete and random Accumulation of data on medicinal plantusages
onlybeganwith the
implementation of more intensive surveys, conducted on the basis of provinces.
The detailed surveyswere conducted under the auspices of several authorities.

Examples
include surveys carried out in Sind by the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council
(PARC), in
Baluchistan by the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) and in Azad Kashmir by the
Pakistan
Association for the Advancement of Science. Checklists and references stillwidely
usedinclude
thoseproduced by the Pakistan Forest Research Institute (1965). Notable
institutions involved in
thedesign and implementation ofthesurveys include the National Herbarium of PARC
whichhas
responsibility for the flora of Pakistan, aswell as someof the universities in

Pakistan. In responsetoconservation interests, surveys focusing on
specificlocalities as opposed towidespread surveys,
have accelerated in very recent years. An example ofsuch a survey is that of Zaidi
(1997).
Anumber of the more recently conducted studies and surveys stemfromthe realization
that
floristic studies alone are inadequate and that considerably more ethnobotanical
knowledge is
required. Thisisall the more apparent duetothefactthat the hakims ortraditional
practitioners of
Unani are primarily concerned with the supplyof medicinal plants as opposed totheir
occurrence
and distribution in variousregions orecological zones.(Shinwari, 1996).
Data is nottherefore readily available on whichspecies require conservation; their

locations,
and which species require the use of alternative strategies to reduce over
exploitation
t2 The Medidnal Plants Supply

There are no coordinated methods in use for the collection and sale of medicinal
plants
Requirements forspecific plantsor plant parts are broadcast by wholesalers, using
local names to
the collectors, who are traditionally nomadic tribes who graze their animals in the
mountains
during the summer and in the plains duringthewinter. Collection of medicinal

plantsprovides an
additional source of income for the collectors who appear to be predominantly
womenaccording
to a study carried outin Chitral (Khan et al. 1996).
The dealers are unconcerned about the fact that collectors are untrained with
regard to
harvesting procedures. This is manifested in increasing tendencies to over-collect
on a totally
unsustainable basis, and ignorance of the need forseasonal collection of
particularmaterials. In
addition adulteration in order to increase bulk is exceedingly common
Theincreasing shortage ofmedicinal plant supplies was highlighted during anational

conference
organisedbytheNational Institute ofHealth, Islamabadin 1991, as well as duringa
national training
workshopon Ethnobotany organised by PARC (National Herbarium), WWFand ICIMOD in
1996.
Thecauses forthis were variouslyattributed to over collecting, overgrazing, and
cuttingoftrees
forfuelwood, as well as over population in some areas.
4
Cultural Background,HealthSystems and the Resource Base
Although statistics onthedegree ofendangerment ofspecies across different

provinces, ecologies
and climates do not exist, it is clear that medicinal plantscome from a wide range
of localities.
A totalof over 700 speciesofthe flora of Pakistan are reported to be endangered

(Chaudhri and
Qureshi 1991).
Despite the lack of statistics, thereisoverwhelming agreement amongexperts in the

country
that the most threatened ecosystems are temperate forests in the upland areas. One
example
taken from the Swat region vividly illustrates this as seen in Table 1. Malik et aL
(1990) also
highlight the rapid loss of arid forest ecosystems in protected areas in
Baluchistan. The other
ecosystems under threat with regard to medicinal plants are desert areas.
Table 1. Medicinal Plantsin the Forest Ecosystems of Swat(250-3900m)
Total numberof medicinal species 350

Numberendangered 5
Numberthreatened 16
Numbervulnerable 18
Numberrare 10
(Datafrom Ahmadand Sirajuddin 1996)
Of the actual species under varying degrees of threat, only 30 percent are included
in the
Pharmacopoeia. This highlights the pointthat many species according to ethnobotanic
surveys
are in fact used, but their efficacyhas never been scientifically tested.
13 Collections of Medicinal Plants
The Unani-based system in Pakistan did not actively promotethe establishment of a

series of
medicinal plantgardens to providesupplies of raw materials for herbal drugs.
Instead there has
been virtually complete dependence on collection from the wildfor local use,
consumption by drug
companies and even for export purposes.
A number of plantations exist but these are relatedto research interests and are
far from
comprehensive. Forexample, collections exist at the Forest Research Institute,
Peshawar and at
the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratories,
Peshawar. In
addition, someplantations are associated with teaching institutions�universities as
well as hakim
training centres.
Nonetheless, these are all farfrom comprehensive and amount to little morethan
specimen
collections. Further, they are not well maintained sincethey have depended on the
duration of
particular research projects, and all ofthe collections suffer from lack of
funding. In addition, the
conceptofgeneticvariation patterns within species'gene pools has hardly been
appreciated. For
instance, under an externally-funded project, the Forest Research Institute studied
the need to
regenerate someimportant indigenous and exoticmedicinal plants in the wild forests
oftheNorth
5
West Frontier Province during the period from 1985 to 1991. Twelve species were
involved of
which one was tested using threeprovenances; one using twoprovenances and
theremaining ten
using a single provenance (Kalim, al. 1992). Studies conducted in most
institutions, involving
phytochemical analysis, alsotend to rely on single provenances.
Yet it is widely known that in the wild, populations existing in particular

ecological systems
may have diverse contents of active principles. An eco-geographical approach is
needed with
regardtosampling for research;formaintenance ofmaterials incollections;
forevaluation and use
and for conservation.
t4 Conservation of the Resource Base
Pakistan has established reserve areas, mainlynational parks, covering 10% of the
total land
area.However, due to the fact that management and resources available forthese
areas are very
limited, over exploitation of medicinal plants continues. Recent funds granted
tothe Government
bytheGlobal Environment Facility areenabling IUCN Pakistan and the Forest Research
Institute
to jointly develop management plans, initially for a very limitednumber of areas.
Consequently
much more remains to be done.
Inafewcases involving hillforests in the Northern areas, agreements arebeing made,

through
the provincial forest departments, and community groups, to declare the areas as
protected,
whereby noextraction of medicinal plants is to be permitted for a period of6years.
Consequently
some degree of regeneration should occur.
In this regard, it is clear that resource tenure rights have to be clarified and
that management
of resources bylocal communities and NGOs should befuflyincorporated into
management plans
and strategies for medicinal plants supply.
In sum,it is apparentthat exsituconservation of the medicinal plants resource base

does not
exist, and that in situconservation is notyet effective.
t5 Understanding the Wider Resource Base
Manyof the medicinal plants indigenous to Pakistan are also distributed in other
countries,
where research is ongoing. Pakistani scientists have much to gain by exposure to
the wider
literature available, forexample, on methodologies for evolving commercial
varieties of Plantago
ovata, Papaver somniferum, Rauwo/fiaserpent/na, Rosa damascena, Vet/veria

zLzanio/des,
Hyoscymus niger severalMenthasp.,several Ocimumsp.,and otherspecies in India. In
Nepal,
plantsfor the extractionofessentialoils involvingvalue addition
tothematerialshavebeen established
at the village level. Tissue culturefor propagation has been developed in various
Iaboratoris,
somewith directrelevance to Pakistan.
However, the most strategic need will be for Pakistan to develop research
techniques for the
evaluationofpriority species genepoolsso that the best materials can be
usedinadaptingtechniques
developed elsewhere, or in devisingnewlocaltechniques for the utilisation of the
resource base,
while at the same time aiding its conservation. In this respect, tissueculture
forconservation and
utilisation has been well researched elsewhere with regardto important medicinal
plantspecies
such as Acon/turn heterophyllum, Nardostachys jatamans/ Orch/s/atifo//a,

PicrorrhLza kurroa
and Rheurnernodi.
6
ChaPter2
INS!
Ecofl�'" BaCkcIt'0t1
Chapter2
EconomicBackground
No economic analysis exists to date for the marketing chain from collection to
consumption
systems. All available data relate to quantitiestraded in markets at a specific
time and their
approximate values. Table 2 itemizes availability and quantities of medicinal
plants, based on old
data. However, the relative proportions have remained almost constant.
Table 2 Medicinal Plants Availability and Quantities
(annual consumption 1978, .= sizable quantities available during the mid-i 980s)
9
Plant Vernacular Annual Indigenousor

Name Consumption Imported
(00kg)
Asparagus Mush Sufaid 74 India

adscendens 185 N,P
A. offic/nal/s Hahiyun
222 Pakistan
A. raceniosus Satawar 55.5 India
a Serberis lycium Sunblu, Sumlu 37 B,K,N,P
�
B. vulgar/s Zarishk Shirin 37 B,K,N
Bonibax nia/abaitcuni SimbaI 37 India
� Brass/cajuncea Rali 74 PS
a Buxuspapilosa Shamshad -Mahakandand
Hazara
Cocciniaglauca Gaazaban 370 Iran
� Calotrop/sprocera Aska 18.5 BJP,S

a C.giqantea Aska B,P,S
Ca#hamnus Tukhamigartum P
t/nctorius
Carum carv/ ZiraSufaid 740 Pakistan/Iran
a C. bu/bocastorum ZiraSiah N
C. capt/cu/n Ajwan 740 P,S

370 India
*
Cassia absus Chaksu 185 P (Plantations)
C. arigustifol/a Sennatiindi
370 S/India
*
C. ftstu/a Amaltas 370 P,S
-
a C. abovata Kasordhi P,S
Celastrus Malkangni 74 IndialPakistan
pan/culata
Centaurea behen Behman surkh 74
Behman ufaid 111
10
EconomicBackground
C/char/urn /t7tybus
Citru/lus
colacynthis
Co/chicurn luteum
�
ommiohora mukul
Cord/a dichotorna
�
C. fat/Ia/ia
Coriandrurn sativum
Cucumis melo
C1urcuma arnoda
CydoniaVulgar/s
�
Delphinium denudaturn
�
Ofoscorea delta/des
Embella ribes
a
Embelica
offic/nalls
�
Ephedra gerardiana
�
E. rebrade/s
Euphorbiaresinifera
Fagoniacretica
�
Ferula foetida
Ficus car/ca
�
Foenicu/um vulgare
Furnariaparviflora
Tukhme Kasni
Tumba
Suranjan
Guggulu
Lasurian
Sapistan
Dhariia
Kuchri
AmbaHatch
Bhidana
Jodwar
Kanis
Baobarang
Amla
Asmani
Nan-oman
Fartiyun
Dhamasa
Hing
Anjir
Sonf
PitPapar
148
111
370
185
370
740
185
37
74
148
3.7
370
3700
185
India/Pakistan
P,S
Iran!Afghanistan
(butalso in P)
B,S
Pakistan
P'S
P
IndialPakistan
India
India/Spain/Iran
K,N
K,N
N,P
P's
K,N
B,N
India/Pakistan
Widespread
Afghanistan
(butalsoin B.)
N,P
N,P
11
Vernacular
Annual Indigenousor
[int
Name
Consumption Imported
(00kg)
G/ycyrrh/za Malathi 1036 China

glabra (Extract only)
Greuria asiatica Phalsa P,S

-
Ho/arthena Indirjo india

ant/dysenter/ca
Talmikhana
74 India
Hygrophi/aspinosa
Hyoscyarnus n/ger Ajwan-e-Khurasanni 185 B,KN
11//c/urn an/saturn Bakiankhatai 111 China
I.grifithhl Saunta
740 Pakistan
-
Lallemantia Tukhamibalangh P,S

rayleana
Lamprac/iaenium Brahmi dandi 37 Pakistan
microcephaluni
Lavendula stoechas lJstukhudus 414 Bahrain
-
Lawson/a a/ba Hena P,S

-
a
Lep/dium sativum Halon P
Linurn AIsi 148 Cultivated

usitafiss/niurn
Lochnerarosea Ratanjot 185 Pakistan
Lycopus europaeus Jutnim 37 K
�
Ma/lotus Kamila 37 K,N,S
phiIipinens/s
-
a
Ma/va sy/vestris Tukhami-khubazi P
Matricaria chaniom///a Babuna 37 B,P
(Ant/iernid/s floris)
Melia azadirachta TukhmBakain 18.5 B,P
Me/ia azedracti Mm As much as possible N,P,S
�
Menthapioerata Janghipodin� K,N
12
Plant
Mimosapud/ca
MarL/s a/ba
Myris'tica fragrans
Myrtus commun/s
Ne/umb/um speciosum
�Nepetarudera//s
Nie//a sat/va
Nymphaea a/ba
Oc/mum basil/cum
O.p/Iosu,n
Onasinaech/oldes
Peganumhenna/a
�
Peucedanuin
graveo/ens
Pi;oercubeba
Pistacia/ntegemmtna
�
P/antagoinajor
�
P ovata
Po/ygonuin
v/viarum
Pongamia g/abra
Psoraleacory//folia
�
Pun/cagranatum
Quercus infector/a
Vernacular Annual
Name Consumption
(00 kg)
Lajwanti 37
Shehtoot 37
Jaiful 148
Habul-Aas 148
Kauldode 185
Badrangboya
Kalonji
GuI Nilofar
.
37
111
222
Takhan-e-fang mushk
-
Tukhan-e-rehan
Ratanjot 185
-
Hermal
Sowa 370
Kababchini 37
KakarSinghi 74
Bartung 111
740
Isabaghol
Anjbar 370
Karanjawa
Babchi
Large quantity
Anar-dana
148
Maju
EconomicBackground
Indigenousor
Imported
India/Bangladesh
Cultivated
India/Pakistan
B,K,N,also
cultivated
Pakistan
B
P
P,S
B,S (cultivated)
N
B,S
8,P
Singapore
N,P
China/India
(butalso in B,P)
B,P,S
India
S
India
Cultivated in
B,N,P
Iran
13
Plant
� Rhazyastricta
a Rheuni ernodi
�
Rhododendron
cainpanu/atum
� Ric/nus cominunis
a Rosa damascena
�
I?. inoschata
Rumex tnarit/nws
Salviaplebela
a
Sa/vatorapers/ca
Sap/ndus
triloliatus
�
S. mukrossi
�
Saussurea lappa
Semecarpus
anacardium
�
Sesamumindicum
a
Skimmia laureola
Sidacordifolla
Solanunini'rum
Strychnosflux-vomica
Swe#/a chirata
Terminal/a chebula
Tinospora
cord/lot/a
a Tribulus terrestris
14
Vernacular
Name
Rangobul
Revandchini
Cherailu
Arind
GuI-surkh
JangH-gulab
Beechbu nd
Kammarkas
Pilu
Ritha
Kuth
Bhilawan
Til
Nair
Bekhbandlal
Tukham Mako
Kuchia
Chiratashirin
Halila
Gibe
Gokru-khu rd
Annual
Consumption
(00kg)
-
-
-
74
As much as
possible
As much as
possible
37
111
74
74
740
370
'S
5
As much as
possible
Indigenousor
Imported
B,N,P,S
K,N
K,N
B,S
Cultivated in
B,P,S
K,N,P
B,P,S
B,P,S
India/Bangladesh
P,S
K,N
India
N,P,S
K,N,P
N,P
All provinces
China/SriLanka
N,P
India/Sri Lanka
S
EconomicBackground
Plant Vernacular Annual Indigenousor

Name Consumption Imported
(00 kg)
Thymus sorpyllum Ban-ajwain B,N

-
Va/er/ana hardwick/i Bekh Kabir

Pakistan
Valer/ana Mushkbala
K,N,P
wall/c/ui
� Viola odorafa Banafsha 370

K,N,P
-
� V serpens Banafsha
K,P
V/t/s vin/fera Munaqqa 740
Pakistan
�
Withan/acoagulens Painrdodi -B,S
-
�
W somnifera Asgan India(alsoin
B,N,P,S)
Zanthozy/um alatum Timmer 3700
N,P
Unab
370
Z1z4hus sat/va
Iran/Afghanistan
(also in B,K,N,P)
1) Datafromlkram and Fazal 1978, and from manuscriptsavailableat PCSIR,and PFI,

Peshawar.
2) B= Baluchistan, K= Kashmir, N= NWFP (North West Frontier Province), P= Punjab,
S= Sind
Ofconsiderable concern isthe fact that manyof the species listed in Table 2 with an
asterisk
attachedto their nameswereplentifulin the 1 980s but are now rare
orbecomingextinct,irrespectiveof habitat. These include D/oscorea deltoides from
exposed habitats, and Podophyllumemod/
from coniferous forests.
The origins of species is of great interest because large quantities of individual

medicinal
plants come from Afghanistan, for example Coichicum luteum, Ferula foet/da and
GlycyrrhLza
glabra. All three speciesare also indigenous to Pakistan but local supplies are
inadequate or
unavailed of by traders. Otherplants are imported from India, Sri Lanka,
China,Bahrain, Iran,
Yemen, Morocco, Tanzaniaand Spain. Theamounts imported are notclear,with the
exception of
species which are not found at all in Pakistan. Muchof the importing is across
borders and takes
place in the informal sector.
In somecases, the imports are long-standing and traditional. Scientific knowledge

has never
been applied with regard to substituting local speciesfor imports. Thus, for
instance, Paeon/a
off/c/na/, is still imported despitethe fact that P emod/which is a good
substitute, is locally
available and has the same medicinal properties (Qureshi and Ahmad, 1996).
15
21 Herbal Markets
Mosttraders are reluctant todisclose volumes of trade for fear that information
willbepassed
on to the tax authorities (Khan, 1985). However, it is known that trade in herbal
materials is
monopolised by wholesaledrug dealers in most of the markets, with the remaining
shopkeepers
and dispensers relying on the wholesalers for their supplies(Appendix 1).
A survey of the drugmarkets carried outby thePakistan Forest Institute in Peshawar

gathered
information on 250 plants and their volumes traded. Consumption of some imported
medicinal
plants in Pansarmarkets (Peshawarand Mardan inNWFP; Rawalpindi,Lahore, Faisalabad,
Multan
and Bhawalpur in Punjab; Hyderabad and Karachi in Sind) are shown in Tables 3, 4, 5
and 6.
In addition to the speciesshown in the tables, the following could be added to

illustrate the
dependence on imports -to Table 3: Zizyphusvulgar/strom Afghanistan; toTable 4:

Term/na//a
chebula from India; to Table 6: Prunus cydoniafrom Spain, Rub/a Cord/folla from
Iran, A/pin/a
ga/angafromIndia and Bangladesh, Pimp/ne//a an/sumfrom Iran,
Nepetarudera//sandLavendula
stoechas, both from Iraq and Iran, Plumbago Zey/anica from China, Cuscutareflexa
from India
and Hygrophila spinosa from Afghanistan.
Table 3 Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar Markets of Pakistan
A. More than 200 tons sold:

rSpecies Local Part Quantity Approximate Source
Name Used Consumed Value in
t/annum 000 (Rs)
G/ycyrrhlza Mulathi Roots 2506 16289 Majorsource of

glabra supplyis
Afghanistan;
material is sent to
Karachi
Carurn Ajwain Seeds 274 2466

Sindh, Swat&
Hazara
copt/cum
Va/eriana Mushk-e-Roots 282 4760 Swat, Dir &

walllchi Hazara.
Pun/ca Anardana Seeds 349 593
Haripur &
Hazara arethe
granatum
main centres for
collecting.
Cuminum
Zeera Fruits 267 3471 Baluchistan.
safaid
cyminum
Onosma Gaozaban Leaves 370 2960 Iran.

bra cteatum
Carum Kalazeera Fruits 297 14850 Chitral&Gilgit

bulbocastanuni Agency.
(Data from Khan 1991)
� .
EconomicBackground
B. 100-200 tonssold:
Species Local Part Quantity Approximate Source
Name Used Consumed valuein
t/annum 000(Rs)
Violaserpens Banafsha
Leaves 127 825 Swat&
Flowers 118 7080 Hazara
Adiantum PersonshanWhole 175 1225 Swat, Hazara

capillus-veneris Plant Dir, etc.
Ferula Hing Gum 183 16470 Gilgit&

foetida Afghanistan.
Polygonuni Anjabar Roots 116 754 Swat, Hazara

amplex/cavie &Rawalpindi.
Rheul,! emodi
Revand Roots 126 630 Swat, Hazara
Chini & Peshawar.
(Datafrom Khan 1991)
Table 5 Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar M arkets of Pakistan
C. Less than 100 tonnes sold:

$pecies Local Part Quantity Approximate Source
Name Used Ccnsumed value in
t/arinum 000(Rs)
Arteni/sia Afsantine Twigs 54 162 Parachinar

quettensi
Hermal Seeds 98 294
Peganum NWFP,Punjab
harmala &Baluchistan.
Sisymbrium Khakshir Seeds 81 810 NWFP &

ir/o
Punjab.
Cichorium Kasni Seeds 53 795 Punjab.

fritybus & Roots
-
Saussurea Kuth Roots 50 150 Azad

lappa Kashmir.
(Datafrom Khan 1991)
17
D. Less than 50 tons sold:

Local Part
Source
Species Quantity Approximate

Name Used Consumed value in
t/annum 000(Rs)
Swert/a Chirata Leaves 33 330 Swat &

chirata Hazara
8e,t,er/s Darhald Roots 43 744 Swat, Hazara

lyc/uni &Dir.
Hyoscyanius Khurasani Seeds 30 840 Pehawar&

nier ajwain Quetta.
Cente/la Barmi . Whole 9 135 Hazara,Swat

asiat/ca booti Plant &India.
Ocirnurn Tukhm-e-Seeds 2 120 Quetta &

Basi//cuni frangmushk iran.
Garthanius Tukham-e-Seeds 11 66
Punjab.
t/nctorius gartum
Aconitum Atis Corms 31 120 NWFP

nape//us especially Swat
&Hazara.
(Datafrom Khan, 1991)
2.2
Manufacturers
Thereare about 15 majormanufacturers (Dawakana) ofdrugpreparations
followingtheUriani
system. Drugs are made up according to Unani recipes, and packaged and sold through
shopkeepers and dispensaries.

The formulations maybe complex as shown inTable 7 or relatively simple as shown in
Table 8.
Table7 Formulation for Mufforeh Mo'fadil
ocaI Name
[plant
Cuscuta reflexa aftimum 30g

Aqullaria agaiocha agar lOg
Nepetah/ndostana badranj boya 20g
Pterocarpus santa//ntis burada sandal surkh 40g
EconomicBackground
Plant Local Name Quantity
Santa/urn album burada sandal safaid
40g
Onosma bre'teatum berggaozaban 1Og
Banibusaarundinacea banglochan 40g
Papaversomniferum tukhm khashkhash 20g
Ocirnum basiicum tukhmfranjmushk 20g
Cichoriumintybus tukhm hasni 25g
Doronicum hookeri daranajagrabi lOg

Z/ngiberzerurnbet 20g
narhachur
Cinnamonurn cassia sazai Hindi 20g

Cor/andrumsativiLim kishniz khushk 25g
Armenianbole
gilArmani 20g
Violaoderata gulbanafshah 30g
Rosadaniascena gul-i-surkh 30g
Camphoraofficinarum hafur 5g
Coral//urnrubruin bussudahmar mahtul log
Vateria fad/ca kahruba-i-shamai 25g
Pearls, ground marwarid mahiul log
Honey shehed 850g

White sugarsyrup gieramshakar safaid 850g
Sodium benzoate nitrun bunjawi 3g
Ambragrassea ambar lOg
Musk mushk 600g
Crocus sat/vus zofran 5g
AquaOiiosmabracteatum arggaozaban 20m1
Silverfoil warag nugra log
Dosage : 5g in the morning as a cardiacstimulantlcephalic tonic/anodyne

antipalpitant/cure for
melancholia.
Source: Hamdard Pharmacopoeia
Table 8 Formulation for Ma'jun Anjir
Ptant Localname Quantity
Termina/hchebula poast halilazard 1 25g

/pornoeaturpethum turbudsafaid 50g
Convo/vu/us scannionia saqmunia 50g
Cassiaangustifo/ia sani-i-makki 50g
Rosa damascena gul-i-surkh 50g
Ficus carica anjir zard 50g

Vitis vinifera mawaizmunaqqa 250g
Whitesugar syrup giwamshakarsafaid
Dosage:lOg at nightwith milk for persistent constipation.
Source : Hamdard Pharmacopoeta
19
2.3
Constraints and nterventions in Marketing and
Manufacturing Herbal Drugs
Itiswidelyopinedthata number ofpreparations
availabletohak/insandonsaleindispensariesare below standard and often donotwork.
There are several reasons forthis: adulteration atthe
collecting level; non-availability and therefore omission of a particularingredient
fromapreparation
of which it forms a component; and poor storage (unhygienic, poor ventilation,

infestation by
microorganisms). Qualityis therefore a vital consideration.
In addition to preparation and sale of herbal formulations, someof the

largecompanies are�
wellaware oftheconstraints involved and aretryingto overcome them. A leading
companyin this
fieldisHamdard whichhas a Pharmaceutical AdvisoryCommittee and which has
established the
prominent and widely known Unani Institute ofHealthand Tibbi Research in Karachi.
It isheaded
by Hakim Mohammed Said. Another smallercompany which manufactures remedies,
Quirshi,
also tries to maintain qualitystandards.
Thegovernment is aware of the constraints but lacks the manpower to address them.
The
Ministry of Health through a programme on traditional medicine is keen to introduce
traditional
medicine for primaryhealth care into villages but the situation is complex and the
programme
under-funded.
The sheer scale of education and training required at the practitioners level can
be appreciated
when it isestimated that there are over 50,000 hakims, many of whom are poorly
educated.
Despite a lack of certain materials and adulteration, afew examples do illustrate

the Ieveis of
profit accruing along thechain. Qureshi andAhmad (1996)cite the case of Viola
oderata flowers.
These are picked by the collectors, dried and transported to the wholesalers in the
town. One
kilogram ispurchased for Rs. 150. Thewholesalers then sell theproduct to retailers
at the rate of
As. 350/kg, and finally the retailers sell it at a rateof As. 5/1Og (Rs. 500/kg).
The collector isnot
always involved in this activityfor the sole purpose of a cash return. In remote
areas such as
upland valleys, Zaidi (1996) notes that local people collect medicinal plants for
home use with a
certain amount beingtaken to the marketto be exchanged forprovisions ratherthan for
cash sale.
2.4
Exports of Medicinal Plants.
In the last 15 years, Pakistan has exported limited quantities of medicinal plants.
Table 9 lists
nine important species.However the quantities described are outdated sincethey
apply to 1978.
20
EconomicBackground
Table 9 Crude Drugs Exported from Pakistan
SI. Name of Plant Part Used Total QuantityIn kg
No. I
1. Acaciaarab/ca Gum 857,075

2. Caruni copt/cum Fruits 9,900
3. Gum/aiimcym/nuni Fruits 687,950
4. Ephedrasp. Twigs 64,950
5. Foen/cu/umvu/gare Fruits 316,650
6. Papaversomn/ferum Seeds 731 ,20&
7. Rheutn etnodi Roots 143,000
8. Ric/nus camrnunis Seeds 6,937,000
9. Va/er/anawa///ch// Rhizomes . 346,320
(Datafrom lkram and Hussain 1978)
Of the speciesdescribed above, Ephedra hasbeen the most exploited and

exportistherefore
restricted by the CITES Convention. Rheum emod/and Va/er/ana wa/llch//are
alsogrossly over-
collected. Other species erratically entering the exports arena are Lawson/a a/ba,
G/ycyrrhiza
glabra,Rosa damascena and P/antago ovata. Exports are made sporadically to Dubai,
France,
Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, India, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, SriLanka,
Switzerland,
UK and USA.and are largelychanneUedthrough theKarachi market. Around tencompanies
are
involved with theexportof medicinal plants (Menon and Shahani, 1988).
Constraints Related to Exports
Exportof herbal products from Pakistan isconstrained by quality considerations,

which often
fail to conform to the standards required by importing countries. The materials are
very rarely
screened for active ingredient contents. Further, where materials are collected
from the wild,
investigations for adulteration need to be carried out.
From timetotime it has been proposed thatcultivation would ensure higher quality
forexport.
However, mostattemptsin the pastwhich have resulted in production from cultivation
relate tc
aromatic plantsand flavourings/spices.
Cultivationofplantsforherbal drugs in Pakistan,relatedtoexports, hastodate involved

P/antago
ovata,Menthapierata, Ocimumbasil/cum, Diosoreasp., Ric/nuscomm
un/s.aswellasflavourings
such ascoriander,garlic, andtumeric (Ahmad 1996).TheGovernment's ExportPromotion

Bureau
often combinesstatisticsof medicinal plants with those of aromatics. Analysisof the
statistics is
nottherefore verymeaningful.
21
2.5 Constituents of Medicinal Plants

Whereas around 250 to 300 speciesenter the herbal markets in Pakistan,
approximately 500
are known for their active constituents, either from research done in Pakistan orin
othercountries.
Research has been carried out by PCSIR Laboratories in particular, as well as by

some
universities. Thepharmaceutical industryhas alwaysbeen interested in plantsources
from which
finished allopathic drugscan be prepared orparts extracted toprovide
chemicalconstituents which
form components of other drugs. Similarly, homeopathic factories emphasize

constituents.
A limited number of Pakistani drug companies doexist, notable examples being

Hamdard,
Kurram Chemical Company, Rawalpindi, and Marker Alkaloids, Quetta. However,
companies in
Pakistan are largely representatives of Western companies, mostlyinvolved in
packaging and
labelling drugsas opposed to local research and development. There have been no
government
incentives to changethis situation.
Oneinstitutionwhich, however, hasadoptedan

innovativeapproachistheInstituteofChemistry
under the University of Karachi, headed by Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman. Due to
foreignfunding, the
Institute has been able to focus on commercially viableproducts using plant
extracts, forexample,
essential oils from the spices mentionedabove; constituentsofDatura, Diosoreaand
Catharanthus,
and about 17 othercompounds. It has also become involved with pilot plant
development.
What is missing however is detailed and specific export marketknowledge of who

wants
what, where and what prices are likely tobe obtained. This is largely an
international responsibility
and some agency shouldbe in a position to broker such deals to benefit developing
countries.
However, this is an issue for the government to raise with international
organizations such as
UNIDO and WHO.
22
Chapter 3
The Traditional Health

Care System
Chapter3
The Tradihona Hedth
TheUnani system hasbeen passed down overthecenturieslargely in the form of oral

tradition.
Thepractitioner is knownas a Hakim Tabbib, meaning healer, and isthe holder of a
specialized
bodyofknowledge.
In Pakistan there are over 50,000hakims. However, there is greatvariation amongst

them:
some are full-time professionals; othersare simply knowledgeable aboutremedies for

household
and village use.Thelatter are known as YuriDosaks(often women), whoseskills,
involve diagnosis
ofillness from an assessment of the pulse and general appearance. Additionally,
atthevillage level
there are Dais (singulardai) who function as local midwives, aswell as bonesetters.
They are
-
unqualified practitioners.
Thereare 22collegesin Pakistan providingeducation and training forhakims. Most

offer afour
yearpost�secondary schoolcourse. However, manyof the hakims are not trained in
thisway.
The practitioners are complemented by dispensers. Howeverthey are usually "C grade"
pharmacists focusing on allopathy, and the system isnot well regulated.
In rural areas the choice between selecting an allopathic doctorand a hak/mdepends

on the
availability of the practitioner; the availability ofallopathic drugsand experience

resulting from the
benefit derived from either system.
There is certainlya tendency for the older segments of the population to

favourtraditional
medicine. However, studies do not provide'the data required to elucidate why
certain traditional
remedies are preferred over others. In part,this must relate to common knowledge
regarding the
medicinalplants occurring in aparticular locality versus specialist knowledge

ofhakimswho possess
a much broader knowledge baseregarding theusage of medicinal plants.
In the Unani system there isan inherent belief, following Galen, in the
"temperament" of the
drug-hot, cold, moist-and the'temperament"ofthe patient.
The Ministry of Health followsa system for registering medical practitioners

through the
1. Medical /DentalCouncil (for allopathic medicine)

2. Pharmaceutical Council (for pharmacists)
3. Unani Council (fortraditional hakims), and
4. Homeopathic Council (for homeopaths).
However, of the 50,000 knownhakims, onlya small number is registered with the
Council. There
is no policy to prevent the "untrained" hakimsfrom practising.
25
The Ministry of Health also has the stated aim of developing a traditional
pharmacopoeia,
though the only one currentlyavailable has been produced by Hamdard. Further, the
Ministry
insists that all herbal remedies be free of steroids as well as allopathic
formulations,and in
recognition of the need for authentication of the plantcontents of herbal remedies,
is as far as
possible, promoting the listing of ingredients on packaging, as well as batch

numbers inferring
shelf life. While astart has been made in this area,there is a long wayto go yet.
With regard to authentication, the question of whether or not the

efficacyconformsto the
standards of allopathy in the West is somewhatirrelevant in situations where
poorpeople cannot
afford pharmaceuticals, apointstressed by Lambert eta/. (1997). Theseauthors
alsopointto the
fact that "seemingly effective treatments exist for skin ailments, minorpain,
infections, anaemia,
othernutritional disorders and many morecomplaints that aremundaneratherthan life-
threatening".
Nearly150 ofthe most commonlyusedherbal drugs in Pakistan have been standardized

and
knowledge of their constituents documented throughtheefforts of PCSIR. Whereas the
policy'of
theMinistry of Health which isnotonlyofnational but of international significance
(Budeker1995),
is aimed at the promotion of traditional medicine, it is also imperative that it is
safely utilized. In
terms oflocal policy,areportforFAOproduced in 1995 stated thatPakistani firms are
not prepared
torespondtotheneedsofanevermore conscious market (Saeed 1995). Hencethebasic
information
provided by research is frequently notdisseminated.
Shelflife is extremely importantsinceUnani medicines incorporate herbal, animal and

mineral
ingredients. Depending on the typeofpreparation, the storage containers are also
important:
"Itriphals"contain Embi/caoffic/na/i, Term/na/ia be/erIcaand Tchebulaas the major

ingredients
and require glasscontainers since astringency blackensmetal. Pillsand tablets,
containingresins
need coating and storage in airtight containers. Preparations containing
volatilesubstances, for
example, camphor, need tobekept in airtight containers. The Hamdard Phamacopoeia
provides
guidelines in this regard although these are certainly notapplied fully by local
druggists.
3.2 Constraints to Promoting Traditional Medicine

A number of scientists informed the authors that one of the weakest areas with
regard to
traditional medicine is that of diagnosis of diseases; This is an area beyond that
of developing a
vigorous medicinalplantsectorin the countryand islargelyaquestion
ofeducation.Theprogramme
on traditional medicine carried out by the Ministry of Health lacksthe funding and
manpower to
provide this.Consequently, workshopsand seminars required to broaden the outlookof
hakims
and homeopaths in rural areas, and small booklets on prescriptions, are curtailed
unlessoutside
funding is made available.
Thequestion ofqualitycontrol is another area which needs to be pursued.So far the

government
has not vigorouslypromoted quality control in practice, despitethe fact that
indigenous drug
manufactureisgoverned bythe Drugs Act. Standardization ofindigenous drugs,
whichisessential,
isan areainwhich the Hamdard Foundation has taken a lead.
The wider availability ofhigh quality standard preparations wouldgoa long way to
increasing
confidence at the locallevel in the blending ofdiagnosis and therapeutics.
The Traditional Health Care System
Nonetheless, qualityconsiderations commence attheinitial stageofcollection ofherbs.

There
is alackofpromotion and dissemination ofscientific information available on
collecting, harvesting
methods, packing, storing and even grading material. Government institutions
maywellrecognize
this but the real lack of zealous extension from the agriculture and forestry lands
to the village
farmerlevel representsthe major constraint. Concommitantly,thisexplains
whytechnologies such
as cultivation are not fully disseminated from the research institute level.
Policy development at the government levelcould changethecurrent situation.

However,from
theperspectiveofmedicinalplants,this would
havetospantheMinistriesofAgriculture,Environment
and Forests, Science,Education and Health.
13 New Development Directions
Internationally,it has become widelyrecognized that extractive systems can onlybe

sustainable it
theyaremanaged by local people. Thetraditional local associations orcooperatives
arepresently
evolving into forestsocieties and community organizations with responsibilities for

management,
regulation and conservation.
In Pakistan, theAga KhanRural SupportProgramme hasdeveloped aparticipatory approach
in the northern areas of Chitral. Thistype of approach has been adopted as partof
the Pakistan
National Conservation Strategy.
However, major gaps currently exist between the research being conducted on
medicinal
plants and rural development initiatives.Althoughthelatterarebeingconsideredby
conservationists,
too much emphasisat present is being placed on the documentation of ethnobotany and
not
enough on prioritizing and using medicinal plants as a means of poverty

alleviation. Some of the
institutions conducting research havebecome involved in biodiversity surveys

forconservation in
association with the funding body, IUCN-Pakistan, which acts for the Ministry of
Environment and
Forests.However, while recommendations havebeen made, itremains tobe seen whether
or not
theseare fully put into effect by the local authorities.
Institutional innovations for community development area recent phenomenon which

are still
being discussed. There are still however a number of resource constraints.
Possibilities and
constraints were discussed as recentlyas May 1997 during a conference held in
Islamabad,
organized by the Organization for Islamic ConferenceStanding Committee on
Scientific and
Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH). However, schemes forcommunity development
must
notonly aim to revitalize the local economy, but also to save biodiversity, provide
the poorwith
increased incomes, protectand capitalizeon indigenous knowledge and respect and
integrate
traditional medicine into the mainstream.
27
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Information and Coordination
Majorprogress has been made over thepast35yearsin documenting the medicinal plants
of
Pakistan. Simultaneously, reference specimens are currentlyavailable in a number of

herbaria-
the National Herbarium in Islamabad has become afocal repository for such
collections.
However, concurrent documentation of the usages of the medicinal plant species has
not
fared so well. This isdue in parttothe fact that a completed National
UnaniPharmacopoeia isnot
available, although considerable credit has to be given to Hamdard for at least
partially filling this
major gap. To some degree, the gaps in information are due to uses being listed in
research
reports, frequently without any validation whatsoever, or without stated dosages or
methods of
treatment.
Theproblem hasbeen exacerbated over the pastfiveyearsdue tothe fact thatnational

interest
in biodiversity has led to yet moreand more listings of putative ethnobotanical
uses withoutany
attempt being madeto investigate and verifybeyond statements madeduring interviews,
and no
detailsbeing provided with regardtodosages, length oftreatment etc. Asa result,
whilehundreds
of speciesare being added to the lists, especially with regardto home remedies, the
essential
detailsare lacking. In some cases attempts are being made to rectify thissituation.
For instance,
asurvey carried outbyPFRI, Peshawar, in the northern mountainous
regionsidentifiedplant species
already known for their active principles. In addition, otherspeciesweresampled and
sent to the
Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi for assessment (Zaidi 1997).
4A General Constraints to information Flow
Nearly all government institutions involved with medicinal plant research are
constrained bylack of fundingand manpower since staff vacancies tend to remain
frozen. Their objective is to
continue programmes initiated up to decades ago, without introducing new strategic
planning
methods to address urgent development and conservation needs, including poverty
alleviation. At
the same time,adequatemechanisms for the adoption ofavailabletechnologies atthe
farmer or
village leveldonotexist.
The limited number of recent national workshops, in areas such as cultivation
technologies or
upgradation of the knowledge of hakimsregarding medicinal plants, havenottodate
ledto major
changes.
Moreover, when one particularinstitution actsas afocal pointfor regional networks,

relevant
information does not alwaysflow to other institutions within the country. An
example isthe FAO
Asian Network on Medicinal and AromaticPlants.
Furthermore, in order to developa clearnational policy, research institutions need

to not only
develop strategic planning but also to appreciate theconstraints which result in
slow action in the
development field.
31
PrioritiesforMedicinal Plants Research and Developmentinpakistan
, ,
4.2 Marketing and SocioEconomic rfQrnv

Existing marketing data, which isin anycaseoutdated, relates solely topricesin
markets and
amounts of raw materials required. New studies are therefore needed in this area.
Markets are
clearly imperfect in terms of price setting due to the restricted flow of
information. Each
transformation point needs to be understood with reference to the stakeholders
involved, their
functions and the horizontal and vertical marketlinkages.
Studies have to deal with the whole chain oftransactions from collectors through
pettytraders,
private agents,wholesale dealers and finally consumers, Nosuch studies areavailable
in Pakistan.
Furthermore,therearenoadequatesocio-economic studies relatingtotheparticipants,

showing
theextent of their reliance on theirinputto the chain oftransactions and the manner
in which their
immediate dependents gain through their input. Thecollectors are almost certainly
the poorest of
thepoorand anydevelopment interventions should attempt to improvetheir lot
throughtheiractive
participation as custodians ofbiodiversity.Thecollectors receive minimum wagesand
thissituation
will not improve untilthey have better access to information on prices,
qualityrequirements, and
timing of demand to enable them to plan their collecting activities.

Almostcertainly, stengthening
the existing linkagesbetween actors in the earlystages of a production to
consumption system
would increase bargaining power for collectors and localtraders.
Anumber of studies from Nepal, including one conducted by Olsen-Smith (1996), would
be
invaluable for Pakistani researchers.
Much of the trade and marketing, including movement ofherbal products

acrossborders, take
place in the informal sector. It is not clear whether or not there are actual
enforceable regulations
forparticular products. Mostregulatory and policy interventions haveconcentrated on

exports and
little has been done to address the domestic market or the question of equity among
diverse
actors in the production to consumption system.
43 nforrnation on Priorities
There is no priority listing agreed on by the majority of researchers as to which
are the most
important medicinal plants on which to focus. Althoughthe national pharmaceutical
industry
concentrates on about 20 species, the consideration is, primarily commercial.
Prioritysetting has
toinclude anumber of criteria including thethreat ofgenetic erosion; value to the
overall economy,
including local people; value in local and traditional health care systems and
sustainable use
extending into thefuture, amongstothers.
This lack of priority listing stems from the lack of a central computerised
information
database incorporating commercial values, status regarding degrees of

overexploitation in the
wild, health care needs, rural community development needs and information on
patterns of
variation within species.Someproposed interventions are outlined later in this
report.
32
Information and Coordination
&4 Access of Researchers to nforrnaton
For a number ofreasons, mostinstitutions researching medicinal plants do not

appeartohave
links,exceptin passing,toongoing activities in other countries. Indiaforinstance
has two important
computerised databases. One is the bimonthly "Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
Abstracts", under
the auspices of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, which scans 600
journalsfrom
55 countries. Another Indian nationaldatabase, IMMEDPLANT, covers activities of
research
institutionsrelatingtomedicinal planttaxonomy, phytochemistry, pharmacognosy, agro-
technology
and traditional medicine.
The FAO regional network has been mentioned earlier. In addition, there is alsoa
UNESCO
network as wellas theAsia-Pacific Information Network on Medicinal and
AromaticPlants, estab-
lished in 1987. AlthoughPakistan is a memberofthe latter network, information
flowto national
institutions isnot as efficient as it could be.
A more recent network, the IDRC Medicinal Plants Network, nowknown as the Medicinal
and
Aromatic Plants Program in Asia, withheadquarters at the regionaloffice of the
International Devel-
opment Research Centre (Canada) in New Delhi, focuses on research and networking
with spe-
cial reference totargeting theverypoor;thewell-being ofwomenandpoverty alleviation.
Ithas only
recently established linkswith Pakistan in 1996, when a workshop on the role of
bamboo, rattan
and medicinal plants in mountain development was help in Pokhara, Nepal.
The IDRC network has issued a Code of Conduct for researchers involved in the study
of
variousaspects of medicinal plants. (See Appendix 2), and a declaration concerning
mountain
development (see Appendix 3). Both provide useful guidelines forinstitutionsin
Pakistanfordevel-
opingstrategic planning methods in relationtomedicinal plants. Thedeclaration shown
in Appen-
dix 3 stresses the need for networking and information dissemination in the region,
just as the
regional political grouping, SAARC, stresses the same for genetic resources of
useful plants.
45 !nformation on Toxcoogy
Thereisa need to ensurethat plants used as drugs by rural people are not toxic in
any way.
Whereas for Unani preparations, this is not an urgent concern since tradition has
over time re-
sulted in standard preparations, it is especially true for those plants, which are
widely used as
home remedies and for which ethnobotanical studies are producing ever-expanding
lists of spe-
cies. However, until methods ofuse arid preparation arefirmly integrated with
ethnobotanical data,
and until validation and recommendations for standard preparations are made for
theseherbs,
there is a moral need to emphasize safety concerns pending toxicological studies.
There is a WHO publication, entitled"Research Guidelines for Evaluating theSafety

and Effi-
cacyof Herbal Medicines," published in 1 993, which will be ofgreatvalue to
Pakistani institutions.
A fuller discussion on thissubjectis to be found in Bajaj and Williams (1996).
33
Chapter 5
. .
Towards a Sustainable
Medicinal Plants Sector
in Pakistan
Chapter5
Towards a Sustainable Medicinal Plants Sector in Pakistan
This report has shown that there is long-standing research on medicinal plantsin
Pakistan
and a growing, albeitfragmented, information base. This, coupledwith a strong
classical tradi-
tional medicine sectorwhich provides employment (although as yet unquantified) and
health care
(especially in rural areas), reveals that there are clear opportunities to focus
future efforts on the
following areas:
�
Poverty alleviation of rural and tribal communities which are involved in
harvesting and col-
lecting medicinal plants throughthedevelopment of welldesigned partnerships between
sci-
enceand development;
�
Environmental and biodiversity conservation -with efforts linked to incentives for
sustainable
management, rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and genetic conservation of
priority
medicinal plantgenepools, and;
a
Rationalization and increased shareof international trade in raw medicinal plants,
which will
require government policies and incentives.
The medicinal plantsectorspans:
a
The Government of Pakistan and its research organizations;
�
Provincial Governments and their extensions; and
�
The Private Sectordealing with Unani preparations and traditional medicine
practice.
Ifthis base is broadened to include internationallyand regionally available
information, on the
one hand, and relevant non-governmental organizations involved with the communities
which col-
lectand use the plantsontheother, then new and effective partnerships willemerge.
However, at present, there is no definable medicinal plants sector. A number of

important
research and development activities could ultimately lead to changed perceptions of
different
stakeholder groupings. They may also lead to clearer policies which affect the
sector, such as
regulations on trade practices and promotion ofinnovative conservation and
utilization of medici-
nal plants. Activities have to be proposed and implemented on a multidisciplinary
front, and a
number ofproposals are offered below.
51 Consolidation of the Plant Resource Information Base
Not only is there wide floristic diversityof medicinal plants in Pakistan but herbs
enter the
sectors oftraditional medicine;industry, as raw materials,whetheror
nottheyarepharmacologically
active, oras essentialoils, tannins, gums and othersubstances; the food industry
forcooking and
colourants; and the cosmeticindustry.
37
There is therefore an urgent need to consolidate information on all known taxa of

medicinal
plants of Pakistan's flora in an interactive database which includes distribution;

rarity; ecological
data; their use in medicine whether or not thisis validated; activeprinciples
identified; whichtypes
ofpreparations are used in medicine; dosages etc. usedandpharmacopoeial references.
To these
have to be added estimated degreesof genetic erosion of populations and
conservation efforts
insituandexsitu.Aconsiderable amount ofrelevant data exists butis mostly scattered.

Consoli-
dationwouldthusidentify gapsin knowledge and permit astrategic
focusonfuturefieldsurveying.
A focal pointfor this information-gathering could be the National Herbarium as has
previously
been suggested at national meetings. With the availability of suitable funding, the
task could be
completed in 18 months.
To illustrate the value of a database, thestatusof medicinal plants should be

considered. In
Swat, out of a total of 350 species,5 speciesare endangered, 16 are threatened and
18 are
vulnerable (Ahmad and Sirajuddin 1996). Information is notreadily available
astowhetherornot
these are all under threatelsewhere. Certainly, someare common in other partsof the
country.
Only with the availability of reliabledata, and interpretation of this data, can
valid conservation
targets, otherthan broad in situconservation of ecosystems be set. However, if

populations of
species areso impoverished, rehabilitation action will be needed (see 5.5).
5.2 Assessing Markets

Theproduction to consumption system flowsvertically from the collectors to the
final consum-
ers. Aseriesof actions occurs for any natural product -it may beprocessed,
spoilagepreventionis needed and the"raw" or"processed" product maybeconsumed,
marketed for direct consump-
tion or used as an inputtoamanufactured product.Ateachstage,the produce isboughtand
sold.
For medicinal plant products the interaction between the various actors involved
appears to be
more significant than the degree ofprocessing.
The market isalso heterogenous. Medicinal plant products are sold in small local
markets in
the same areas wherelarge tradersamass their supplies forindustry, and occasionally
forexport.
Many crossnational bordein an"informal"way.
Existing data on quantities available in markets atanyparticular timedolittle to

help clarify the
complex commerce ofmedicinal plants. Up-to-date analysis is required eventhoughthe

informal
market is verydifficult to evaluate. Nonetheless, this informal market hasto

recognize conserva-
tion imperatives, and attemptsmade in this direction willonly result from estimates
ofthe informal
market.Analysisofmarketinformation couldleadtoclearattempts to stem adulteration,

as well as
priority setting for ensuring sustainable supplies of raw materials. Thecurrent

unsustainable har-
vesting practices, mostlyunregulated, are due not onlythe poorknowledge ofthe

collectors ofthe
plants and theirecologies, but also tothe inadequate dissemination of

priceinformation.
For a suitable study to be conducted, a limited number of raw materials would have
to be
tracked and these would have to be selected on the basis of their beingindicative
ofmuchlarger
groupings of herbs.
Concurrently with the analysis of market transformation points, socio-economic

implications
wouldrequire assessment in relation to benefits accruing to communities and the
relative roles of
gender, on-farm/off-farm incomes etc.
Towards aSustainableMedicinal Plants Sector inPakistan
It is estimated thatsuch a studywould take a 2 year period to complete. It would

need a
steering committee and an expert on modern participatory socio-economic research.
5.3
Urgent Salvaging of Priority Genetic Resources
and their Evaluation
Many important medicinal plantshavedwindling populations. It is therefore, critical
thatmateri-
als are collected and conserved in the mostappropriate way, using seed storage in
the national
genebank where possible, and vegetativestorage in ex situcollections for study,
evaluation and
selection of superior types.Some of the material will be valuable and appropriate
for enrichment
planting, especially in forested areas.
The keyto success will be the sampling strategy used,and this must focus on
populations
ratherthan taxa. TheNational PlantGenetic Resources Institute is the obvious focal
pointfor this
work until such time as the forest research organizations are equipped for
conducting genetic
resources work. There will be a need tofirstlyidentify priority species, and

secondly priority areas.
Priority Species
A number ofmajormedicinal plantsare already recorded as being scarce orrare,

orbecoming
increasingly so. Theyinclude in the northern parts Podophyl/um emodi Rheumemod
Va/er/ana
wa///chh' A#emis/aspecies, Acorusca/amus, Saussurea lappa, Paeon/a emodj Ephedra
species,
Carthamus t/nctor/us, Dioscoreaspecies, Hyoscyamus ni'ei Pterocarpus inarsup/ani,
Atropa
acum/nata and Coich/cum luteum. Ofthese, ArtemL$ia, Ephedra and Va/er/ana are of
major impor-
tancetothe pharmaceutical industryin the country. All are of major value in
traditional medicine.
Mostmedicinal specieswhich are also fruit trees are not under threat since these
are main-
tained orprotected by local people. Others, already domesticated as cropssuch as
cumin, anise
and safflower are also to be considered somewhat differently from wild species.
However, their
supplycan be erraticas in the cases of Pimp/ne//aan/sumin Punjab, and Cum/num
cym/num in
Baluchistan, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Punjab. For these and other
species, the
need for geneticresources evaluation is urgent and should be prioritized as partof
the national
geneticresources programme.
In many parts of Pakistan, plants used for their roots are becoming increasingly
scarce, for
example, C/ssampe/ospareiraand W/than/a somn/fera in Punjab and Sind, and Murraya

koenig/i
and Sphaeranthus ind/cusin Punjab. Certain species are similarly becoming rarer,
for example,
Fumariaparv/florain Baluchistan. So too are manyarid zone medicinal species.
Priority Areas
In terms of guaranteeing sustainability ofherbal suppliesarid meeting conservation

needs,the
undisputed priority areas are forest areas in the northern partofthe country (North
West Frontier
Province(NWFP),andAzadKashmir). These undoubtedlyincludetheKalash and Kafristan
valleys
of Chitral; the Bogaranang/Sirren valleys; Kaghan valleyand the Swat, Dir and
Kurram valleys.
Theseare also areas where poverty alleviation is an important issuein relation
totribalpeople.
39
PrioritiesforMedicinal Plants Research andDevelopmentin Pakistan
A second priority area would include the drier forested areas of Baluchistan, while
a third
priority region would encompass certain parts of the Cholistan and
Tharparkerdeserts.
Proposed Action
The National Plant Genetic Resources Programme, in collaboration with other

institutions
working in areas such as validation of activeprinciples when evaluating germplasm,
should de-
velopa phased projectfor donor funding over a threeyear period. This should include
activities
such as collecting, conservation and evaluation.
54 Urgent !mpernentation of Cultivation
There is no national overview inthecountrywith regardtowhich speciesshould be

cultivated,
though numeroussuggestionshave been made attheinstitutionallevel and even promoted
through
research and development in this respect. Although trials have been carried out by
the Forestry
Institutesince the 1960s, fewrecommendations have actually been
adopted.Conservationists, for
example Naim (1996), are alsoconcerned about this issue. Appendix 4 listsexamplesof
species
forwhich appropriate cultivation technologiesare already available. Thiswould
probably apply to
at least 40 speciesoccurring in Pakistan, includingtraditional methods of
cultivating mint,anise
and otheraromatic herbsand spices.
Cultivation will result in improved suppliesofrawmaterials, provide an alternative

tocollecting
planfs from the wild,and will also lead to standardization.
Promotion ofcultivation isintrinsically linked to the following activities:
1.
Evaluation of genetic resources and identification of suitable genotypes for
cultivation (this is
an integral component of5.3above)
2.
Development of farming systemscompatible with local food cropping systems,with an
em-
phasis on promoting incomegeneration for a broad section of local communities.
3.
Application ofmultiple cropping/agroforestry and othertypes of farming
systemsicsuit agro-
ecological aspects of the target medicinal plants. This would include the provision
oi partial
shade and support, and sequential harvesting of cropsover a 3 to 8 or 10 year
period, (See
also Gohar 1994 and Shinwari 1993 who emphasize the pointthat agroforestry
shouldcon-
currently address Constraintsof fuelwood shortages and multipurpose use.)
4.
Selection of specieswith known medium to highmarket value. Atprevailing rates,
production
of Podophyllumemodfwoud result in prices perton which are twice that of Saussurea
and six
times that of Valer/ana. Depending on market prices and harvesting cycles, mixed
(sequen-
tial) cropping would be essential. Species currently thought to be appropriate for
cultivation
are shown inTable 10. This table is an attempt to list those species emphasized in
scattered
research reports which would form a core groupin a priority setting.
40
TowardsaSustainable Medicinal Plants Sector inPakistan
5. Farming and rural communities have amajorrole toplayin accepting, promoting and
sustain-
ing cultivation practices. Thus all programmes in this regard need to be devised
within a
framework of rural development since cultivation, storage, post-harvest protection
and mar-
keting are all integral aspects to be considered.
Table 10Tentative Priority Speciesfor New or Enhanced Cultivation

*
Further research and development work required forcultivation:
A.
Species widely used
*
Acon/turn napellus
Artern/siaquettensis
Atropaacum/nata
Berber/s lyc/umCarthamustinctor/us
Carurnbu/bocastanurn (syn. Bun/urnpers/curn)
Carum copt/curn
Coich/curn luteurn
Dioscorea de/to/dea
G/ycorrh/zaglabra
Hyoscyarnus niger
Podophyllurnernod/
Rheurn ernod/
Saussurealappa (syn. S. costus)
So/anum khasianum
Va/er/ana wa/llch//(syn. Vjatarnansi)
B.
Other priority species, which are over exploited for local medicine.
Angel/caspecies
Jur/nearnacrocepha/a
P/crorrhiza kurroa
Propagation for cifitivation
Cultivationis only successful whenhigh quality planting materials is available.

Hence cultiva-
tion not onlyprovides analternative rawmaterial production system, thusreducing

thehe.avy over-
exploitation of many important commercial medicinal species, but also improves
qualitysupply.
Somespecies can bereadily propagated using seeds, butin most cases,theadoption

ofthis
techniquewould result inheterogenous populations. Vegetative propagation leads to
more reliable
stands and yields. In some cases,for example Podophyllurn and Saussurea, where
ramlets are
slowgrowing, tissue culture techniques would have to be promoted. The National

PlantGenetic
Resources Institute has facilities for research and development in this area.
Tissue culture tech-
niques existelsewhere forAtropaacurn/nata, Dioscorea de/to/dea,Menthasp,
P/crorrhLza kurroa,
Rheurn emod/and manyother speciesof interest which occur in Pakistan.
41 .
Priorities forMedicinal Plants Research and Developmentin Pakistan
Proposed Action
Depending on thepriorities determined under section 5.3, as well as market demands,

aproject
should bedeveloped involving theparticipation ofsuitable NGOstocultivate and

marketimportant
species. Thisis likely to attractdonorfunding for a threeyear period, renewable for
an additional
two years.
5.5
In Situ Conservationand Continued Upgrading of ForestryPractices to Conserve
Species Occurring in Specific Ecosystems.
This report has described strategies used in forest management, related to the new
focus on
biodiversity conservationwhereby certain areas would be deemed as strict reserves
where
harvesting of non-timber forestproducts would be prohibited for a period
ofseveralyearsto allow
forsome regeneration. Such efforts are onlyto beapplauded. However, it isequally
important to
ensurethattheseefforts areparalleled byclarification ofresource tenure rights,
withadequate and
acceptable prOvisionsbeingmade in relation tofuelwood, fodderand extraction
ofmedicinal plants.
Thisinvolves the active participation of local community organizations and NGOs.
Additionally, it
must be recognizedthata number ofscientists haveexpressed theopinion

thatinsituconservation
of ecosystems in Pakistan is unlikelyto be adequate for the future protection
oflargesegments of
biodiversity.
In a number of cases, efforts would need to be supported by rehabilitation of a

number of non-
timber forest products using local germplasm. Community involvement in this regard,
coupled
with education, provides a pro-active approach to conservation, especially in

lightof self-evident
future benefits. Responsibility in this area should liewithin theexisting
cooperativeefforts between
PFI, Provincial Forest Departments, and national efforts focusing on biodiversity,
in association
with IUCN and WWF. Conservation isanational responsibility as outlined inAgenda21
and theUN
Convention on Biological Diversity.
It is important to recognize that regeneration of medicinal species within

ecosystems, and
cultivation of selected genotypes in agricultural systems are separate strategies
requiring appro-
priate coordinated planning. In theformercase, theobjectivehas to be to maintain as
much local
natural geneticvariation as possible. In the latter case, production islikelyto be
limited to specific
segments of the overall pattern ofvariation ofthegenepool. Itisthusvital that
exsituconservation
complements both rehabilitation of ecosystems aswellas attempts at cultivation, as
mentioned in
section 5.3 above.
5.6
Ex Situ Conservation for Medium to Long-Term Benefits.
The importance of the national genebank cannot be overstated since the institution
which
maintains it has state-of-the-art facilities for seed storage and tissue culture.
Salvaging genetic
resources (5.3 above) andevaluating them(5.3and5.4) require methodologies and
facilities which
already exist and which need to be appliedto medicinal plants.
For example, it is widely known that the handling of seeds, from their initial
collection in the
field, has a profound effect on subsequentgermination and sustaining viability.

Many previous
experiments conducted on germination of seed lots for medicinal plantsare
meaninglesswithout
42
TowardsaSustainable Medicinal Plants Sector inPakistan
theavailabilityofdata on seed moisture content, methodsoftemporary storage, drying

etc. Similarly,
collecting vegetative materials, (rhizomes, corms, cuttings etc.), especially when
used for
experimentation, requires sampling data to extrapolate results regarding population
variability, since
biased sampling can lead to incomplete results. Many published papers in this area
lack the
sampling data.
For exsituconservation, it is to be expected that a large proportion of priority

specieswill
possess orthodox seeds, that is, seeds which can be dried and conserved at low
temperatures in
agenebank. Collectionsofgrowingplants can alsobe built upin exsitufieldgenebanks.
For the
species likely to beaccorded priority, the Karakoram Agricultural Research
Institute for the North-
ern Areas, is the obvious choice of location for a major exsitucollection. Other
locations will be
required in different agro-ecological zones as medicinal plantconservation and
utilization is ex-
panded, and these will require full documentation related to anymaterials in the
national genebank
or in protected areas.
51 Policy and Education
Clearergovernment policy is likely toemergeas a resultof the actions proposed in

sections
5.1 to 5.6 being vigorously pursued. However, under thepresent national funding
climate, outside
donor funding should be mobilized to initiate the proposed strategic actions, and
national funding
soughtto strengthen orsustain specific inputs by individual institutions.
Though not itemized in this report, there are urgent requirements for education on
a broad
front. Thereis a majorneedtotrain the collectors and traders of medicinal plants to
ensure better
quality, and this should involve practitioners of traditional medicine. At present,
orders placed for
raw materials are based on vernacular names, and this pointalonepresents problems
in cases
where the same vernacularcan applyto more than one species, or where species have
similar
vernacular names.
Since theeducation requiredisonsuch a broad front, itwill have to be tackled on a

large-scale
basis. For instance, once an integrated database ismade available, numerous
pamphlets can be
generated containing appropriate information relevant to the recipient. These can
interface with
conservation imperatives and projects, as well as the specific interests of diverse
Ministries.
Furthermore, a community participation approach to cultivation, will need an
educational compo-
nent. NGOs such as the AKRSP, which has been active in the Northern Areas and in
Chitral
since 1982, as well as Sarkad RS Corpwhichisworking in other provinces, will be
vital in devel-
oping appropriate priority interventions in specific priority areas. Iftraining
experience isgained
within such a framework, it is likely to be more widely replicable.
It is not clear as to the extent of the need forcollections of medicinal plants

primarily foreduca-
tional purposes. However, due consideration will have to be given to this issue in
a number of
diverse climatic areas. Further, the greater the linkages with demonstrations of
new streamlined
supplysystems, the more successful thesecollections will be, especially in areas
whereseveral
local languages are used and where literacy rates are verylow.
43
PrioritiesforMedicinalPlants Research and DevelopmentinPakistan
5.8 Future Prospects

There willalmost certainly bea need forstrongercoordination ofthemedicinal plants
sector at
thenational level. However, theestablishment of anational committee, inter-
ministerial dialogue or
whatever mechanism is deemed necessary, ismore likely to be successful
ifappropriate strategic
action (as proposed above) has already been taken at the research and development
level.
Theobjective isnotsimplytoforgelinksand collaboration between interested research

parties
in thecountry but also to encourage sustainable development throughthe adoption of
strategies
involving income generation, conservation and target-oriented use ofthe resource
base as deter-
mined by socio-economic and health considerations.
In the meantime, it would be prudent for the relevant government authorities to

address the
following issues: the validityof CITES recommendations and listingsof plants or
derivatives re-
stricted for export; widerparticipation in regional networks and maybe membership
in otherssuch
as theG-1 5 Genebanks for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (GEBMAP); the policy
environment of
non-timber forestproducts and community rights; investment in the private
pharmaceutical sector
and expanded education and information flowto hak/ins. Theaddressing and
clarification of any-
one of the above tasks, all of which require attention on the domestic front,will
facilitate progresstowardsa viableand sustainable medicinal plants sector in
Pakistan.
, 44
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presented
atOIC-COMSTECH Conference, Islamabad.
Lambert. J. Srivastava, J. and Vietmeyer, N. (1997) MedicinalP/ants. Rescuinga

GlobalHeritage
Technical Paper 35,World Bank, Washington, D.C.
Malik, Saddiqua, Shah,M. and Marwat, 0. (1990) Ecotaxonomical Evaluation

ofValuablePlantsof
Baluchistan Pakistan. Pakistan Museum of Natural History, Islamabad.
Marwat, Qutbuddin (1996) The Involvement ofLocalPeoplein Medicinal P/ants Use and
Their
TrainingNeeds Assessment/n NorthernAreasandChitral, Pakistan. Unpub., National
Herbarium,
PARC, Islamabad.
Memon, M.1.A.and Shahani, N.M.(1988) SurveyandDomestication ofWild Medicinal P/ants

Dis-
tributed/nSindProvince ofPakistan. Unpub. , SindAgricultural University, Tandojam.
Naim, P. (1996) Losingout on NaturalWealth, TheWayAhead. Sept.1996, IUCN-Pakistan.
Olsen-Smith, C. (1996) MedicinalP/ants, Markets andMargins:Implications

forDevelopment in
Nepal Paper Presented to an ICIMOD/IDRC/IPGRI/INBAR Workshop on Bamboo, Rattan and
Medicinal Plants in Mountain Development. Pokhara, Nepal.
PFRI (1965)A NoteonthePlantsofMedicinalValuefound/nPakIstan,Government Press,

Karachi.
Qureshi, H.M.A. and Ahmad, S. (1996) SupplyandRegeneration

ofMedic/na/PlantsinPakistan.
InZ.K. Shinwari, B.A. Khanand A.A. Khan(ed.), Proceedings ofthe First Training
Workshop on
Ethnobotany and its Application to Conservation, National Herbarium/PARC,

Islamabad: p.p. 90-
93.
Saeed, Aftab (1995) Case Studyon the Medicinal, CulinaryandAromatic Plants in
Pakistan.
Paper prepared for FAO, Cairo, November 1995.
Shinwari, Z.K.(1993) FirewoodCrops:Shrubs andTreeSpeciesinNWFP. In Pak. J. Agric.

Res.,
14(1):92-1DO.
Stewart, R. R. (1972) AnAnnotatedCatalogueofVascularPlantsofWest Pakistan

andKashmir
Fakhri Printing Press, Karachi.
Zaidi,S. H. (1997) Quarterly Progress Report ofMedicinalPlantsSurveyfor the Project

'Maintain-
ingBio-diversity in Pakistanwith RuralCommunity Deve/opment' Unpub., PFI, Peshawar.
46
Appendix I
Major Herbal Drug Dealers in Pakistan
(from Marwat, 1996)

DIRAND SWAT, NWFP
1.
Messrs. Haji TehmasKhan,DrugDealers, MainBazaar Dir., NWFP.
2. Ahsami Dar-Ul-Advia, New Bazaar,Dir., NWFP.

3. Messrs.HAJI Fareedoon, Drug Dealers, MainBazaar, Dir., NWFP.
4. Messrs. Haji Faiz-Ulla BrawalBarida, DIr., NWFP.
5. Messrs. Habib- Ullah Khan, DirCommission Shop, Batkhella, NWFP.
6. Messrs. Abdullah Jan and Rahmat Gui, Madyan Road, Mingora, Swat, NWFP.
7. Messrs. Abdullah Jan and Rehmat and Co., Madyan Road, Mingora, Swat, NWFP.
8. Messrs. Hakim Dilber Khan, Swati Ghee Depot, Madyan Road, Mingora, Swat, NWFP.
9. Messrs. SyedAu Mirza Abasin Kohistan Trading Co.,Madyan Road, Mingora, Swat,
NWFP.
10. Messrs. Asghar Au SwatTrading Co.,Kanju Road, Mingora, Swat, NWFP.
11. Messrs. Inam GuI Drug Dealer, Bahrain Road, Bahrain, Swat, NWFP.
12. Messrs. Pir Mada & Co.,Bahrain, Swat, NWFP.
13. Messrs. Toti Gui, Bahrain Road, Bahrain, Swat, NWFP.
14. Messrs. Danish and Sons, Madyan, Swat, NWFP.
15. Messrs. Haji Shahjan, Anwar & Co., Madyan, Swat, NWFP.
16. Messrs. Muhammad Safdar, Punjab House, Madyan, Swat, NWFP.
17. Messrs. Halim Khan, Bazaar Timmergarah, Dir, NWFP.
18. Haji Mohsin Khan Khai, Dir, NWFP.
19. Messrs. DayaSingh, MainBazaar, Pir Baba, Buner, NWFP.
47
20.
Messrs. Fazai-Khaiiq Modern Industries, International Traders, Modern House,
Mingora,
Swat, NWFP.
PESHAWAR, NWFP
21.
Messrs. Haji Ahmed & Sons, Daigran, Peshawar, NWFP.
22.
Messrs. Muhammad Younas, People Mandi, Peshawar, NWFP.
23.
Messrs. NazirGui,Shopkeeper, People Mandi, Peshwar, NWFP.
24.
Messrs. Saeed Sons, People Mandi, Peshawar, NWFP.
25.
Messrs. Malik & Co.,NamakMandi, Peshawar, NWFR
2.6.
Messrs. QamarTraders, Namak Mandi, Peshawar, NWFP.
27.
Messrs. Mau moor&Co., MevaMandi, Peshawar, NWFP.
28.
Messrs. Afghan Trading Co.,MevaMandi, Peshawar, NWFP.
29.
Messrs. HajiLoung Khan, MunawarKhan, Daigran, Peshawar, NWFP.
30.
Messrs. Muhammad Ayaz & Co., People Mandi, Peshawar, NWFP.
31.
Messrs. Haji Abdur Rehman & Sons, Daigran, Peshawar, NWFP.
32.
Messrs. HajiRehman Gui,Dalgran, Peshawar, NWFP.
33. Messrs. AbdurRehmari and AbdurRahim Siddiqui, People Mandi, Peshwar, NWFP.
RAWALPINDI, PUNJAB
34.
�Anis Brothers, Naswari Bazaar, Ganj Mandi, Rawaipindi, Punjab.
35.
Kha(id Rashid & Co., Naswari Bazaar, Ganj Mandi, Rawaipindi, Punjab.
36.
Mosa Javeed & Sons, Naswari Bazaar, Ganj Mandi, Rawalpindi, Punjab.
37.
United Karyana Store, Naswari Bazaar, Rawaipindi, Punjab.
38.
National Karyana Stores, Naswari Bazaar, Ganj Mandi, Rawaipindi, Punjab.
39.
Golden Store, Naswari Bazaar, Rawaipindi, Punjab.
48
AppendixI
LAHORE, PUNJAB
40. Batala Trading Co.,Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.

41. Muhammad Store, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
42. Java Pansari Store, AkbariMandi, Lahore, Punjab.
43. Ch.Farzand All, PaperMandi, Lahore, Punjb.
44. Sheikh Au Muhammad &Ghulam Sarwar, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
45. AsadTraders, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
46. AtiqKaryana Store, AkbariMandi, Lahore, Punjab.
47. Kausar Karyana Store, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
48. Sheikh NoorHussain, AkbariMandi, Lahore, Punjab.
49. Abdul Majeed &SaeedAhmed, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
50. Khursheed Au Karyana, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
51. Arif Brothers, AkbariMandi, Lahore, Punjab.
52. ZahoorSons, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
53. JameelTraders, AkbariMandi, Lahore, Punjab.
54. MadinaTraders, Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
55. Hidayat & Co.,Akbari Mandi, Lahore, Punjab.
FAISALABAD, PUNJAB
56. Messrs. Jamal Din * 11am Din, Goal Karyana Bazaar, Faisalabad, Punjab.
57. SheikhIbrahim & Sons, Goal Karyana Bazaar, Faisalabad, Punjab.
58. SabriKaryana Store, Gaol Karyana Bazaar, Faisalabad, Punjab.
59. Rajpoot KaryanaStore, Gaol Karyana Bazaar, Faisalabad, Punjab.
60. SaeedBrothers, Gaol Karyana Bazaar, Faisalabad, Punjab.
61. Haji Mehar Din, M. Abdullah,Goal Karyana Bazaar, Faisalabad, Punjab.
49
MULTAN PUNJAB
62. Messrs. BatalaKaryana Store, Haram Gate, Multan, Punjab.

63. Messrs. Muhammad Hussain, Abdul Rehman, BeroonGate,Multan, Punjab.
64. HajiUsman & Sons, Bazaar Chauri Saray, Multan, Punjab.
65. HajiMushtaq Ahmad, BazaarChauri Saray, Multan, Punjab.
66. M. Bashir, M. Safeer, Bazaar Chauri Saray, Multan, Punjab.
67. Abdul AzizKaryana, Bazaar Chauri Saray, Multan, Punjab.
68. Mehraj Din, Mushtaq Ahmed, Gur Mandi, Multan, Punjab.
69. Waheed &Co., Harm Gate,Multan, Punjab.
70. Abdul Shakoor&Sons, Bazaar Chauri Saray, Multan, Punjab.
BAHAWALPUR, PUNJAB
71. BoorMuhammad & Manzoor Ahmed Pansari Store, ChockBazaar, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
72. Molvi Hidayat Muhammad & Sons, MachliBazaar,Bahawalpur, Punjab.
73. Asif Zia Karyana Merchant, Fateh Khan Bazaar, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
74. Chaudhri Karyana Merchant, Fateh Khan Bazaar, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
75. MaqboolAhmedKaryana Merchant, Fateh KhanBazaar, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
76.
Abdut Rashid &Abdul Basit, Fateh Khan Bazaar, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
77. Javed Karim Bazaar, Jamay Masjid, Bahawalpur, Punjab.

78. UmerDin Abdul Ghani, Fateh Khan Masjid, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
79. HajiUmerDin Muhammad Ishaq, Bazaar Fateh Khan, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
80. Abdut Rashid, Muhammad MunirMerchant, Bazaar Fateh Khan, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
81. SyedMangay Shah,Bazaar JamayMasjid, Bahawalpur, Punjab.
50
AppendixI
SUKKUR. SiN[)
82. Yousaf Brothers, Karyaria Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.

83. Ahmed Khan &Co., Karyana Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.
84. HajiAbdul Sattar&Haji Usman, Shahi Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.
85. Jan Muhammad &Abdul Ghafoor, Karyaoa Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.
86. Haji ZakriaAhmed Pansari, Karyana Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.
87. Muhammad Ibrahim KaryanaMerchant, Karyana Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.
88. G.H. Umer, Karyana Merchant, Karyana Bazar, Sukkur, Sind.
89. Narani Pansar, Karyana Bazar, Sukkur, Sind.
90. AshrafAnis &Co.,Karyana Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.
91. Muhammad Hanifand Brothers, Karyana Bazaar, Sukkur, Sind.
HYDERABAD, SND
92. Chamber of Commerce, Chandni Cinema, Hyderabad, Sind.
93. Nabi Bakhsh & Co.,MarketRoad, Hyderabad, Sind.
94. Haji UmerDin, Haji Allah Rakkha, MarketRoad, Hyderabad,Sind.
95. SikandarAliKaryanaMerchant, MarketRoad, Hyderabad,Sind.
96. Ramzan Au & Muhammad AIim Brothers, Market Road, Hyderabad, Sind.
97. Ramzan Ali & Brothers, MarketRoad, Hyderabad, Sind.
98. Abdul AU &Brothers, MarketRoad, Hyderabad, Sind.
99. S:Mehar Ali Karyana Merchant, Market Road, Hyderabad, Sind.
100. Din Muhammad KaryanaMerchant, Market Road, Hyderabad, Sind.
101. Jamal Bahi & Ibrahim and Sons,MarketRoad, Hyderabad, Sind.
51
I1IW
KARACHL SIND
102.
Baqai &Co., JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
103.
Hussaini Corporation, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
104.
M. Jamil & Sons, Muhammadi Street, Karachi, Sind.
105.
Hakim & Co.,JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
106.
Nayab-ud-Din, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
107.
Haji PirPurkhash Corporation, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
108. Yousaf Karim, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sirid.
109.
AwanTraders, Au AkbarStreet, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
110.
Karim Co., Darya Lal Street, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
111.
Au Muhammad Bilal, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
112.
Musarrat Traders Corporation, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
113.
Abu Bakar & Sons, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
14.
Muhammadi General Store, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
115.
InsafKaryana Store, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
116.
Hussaini Store, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
117.
Haji Usman Bilal, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
118.
Musleh-ud-Din & Sons, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
119.
YousafAli,Qamar-ud-Din, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
120.
Capri Traders, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
121.
Muhammad Jumma & Sons, JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
122.
Producer Co., JudiaBazaar, Karachi, Sind.
QUETTA, BALUCHSTAN
123.
Farooq Traders, Importers Exporters & Dry Fruit Commission Agents, Shahra-e-lqbal,
Quetta, Baluchistan.
124. Chaudhri Muhammad Ali &Co., Importer Exporter Commission Agents, Shahra-e-
lqbal,
Quetta, Baluchistan.
125.
Wattan Trading Co., Dry Fruit Commission Agents, Shahra-e-lqbal, Quetta,
Baluchistan.
52
Appendix2
Code of Conduct on Medicina' P'ant Research
PREAMBLE
Theparticipants of an IDRC -sponsored meeting on Medicinal PlantsResearch in

Calicut, India,
6-8 February, 1995, havenoted that:
Whereasp/antshave been the source offood andmed/c/ne throughout h/story and;
Whereas radit/ona/ systemsofmed/c/ne

haveemp/oyedmedic/na/p/antsforpr/maryhealthcare
purposes, and;
Whereasapproximately80percentoftheworld'spopu/ation isdependent upon traditiona/

andfo/k
systemsofmed/c/ne forpr/maryhealthcare, and,
Whereasan/ncreas/ng numberofmed/c/na/p/ants arebeingapprovedbygovernments/ndeve/-

opedanddeve/oping countr/esforuse inpr/maryhealth care deliverysystems, and;
Whereas there is a greatneedto increase awareness ofthe va/ue

ofmed/c/na/p/antb/diversityandassociatedknow/edge and;
Whereas the supp/y ofmed/c/na/p/antsin the South Asian region, comb/nedwith

absenceof
standards forcrudedrugsresu/ts intheprevalenceofadulteration andsubstitution, and;
Whereas thereare at least 55,000ilcensedpharmaciesandcompanies utllLzing

medic/na/p/ants,
and,'
Whereas Many traditional herbal medicines arerelatively/ow/ncost,
A nd agreedasfollows:
ARTICLE 1 Origin of medicinal plant materials
Plantmaterial will be properly documented with respect to identity and location of

source.
ARTICLE 2 Collecting material and quality specifications for fresh. dried and
processed
plant materials.
In view of the existing over-exploitation of manymedicinal plantspecies, standards

willbe agreed
upon for the collection of each species. Standards will relate to the
partoftheplantcollected, stage
of development and timing of collecting. As far as possible these standards will
accord with au-
thoritative publications.
All aspects ofprocessing will accord with agreed procedures and be related as faras
possible to
authoritative texts. Theseaspects will include storage ofplants, timeofprocessing,
methods used
(solvents,heat etc.), including equipment, standards ofclearnesstoreduce microbial
contamination
and storage of extracts. Limits ofotherplantparts, in addition tothetarget
plantpartwillbeset, as
will the limits for foreign mineral matter. Where such standards or procedures are
not widely
documented theywill be developed throughresearch.
53 *�
ARTICLE 3 Characterization of therapeutic value and information on use and con-

stituents
All research on herbal medicines must document the accepted value ofthe plant-
derived material
in human health benefits.
Dosages, i.e. form (powder, decoction etc.), amount, and timing of dosage will be
documented
with specific details of processing and preparation. Forms ofpreparation relate to

one or more of
powdered plantmaterials,extracts, purified extracts or partially purified active
substances isolated
fromplants. Routes of administration are also to be documented.
Active constituents, asfaras theyareknown, should bestated and theirstructural

formulaegiven.
However, in many cases,the plant preparation as awholeistherapeutically effective
even though
active principles are not known. Such 'crude' preparations are recognized as useful
and docu-
mented in texts because activitymay depend on a largenumber of components.
In single plant remediescontents of known therapeutically active constituents

should bedeter-
mined and acceptable dosage range specified for the health systemsin which the
remedy isused.
When the medicine is aherbal mixture, the most characterizing compounds should
bedescribed.
ARTICLE 4 Documentationof therapeutic uses
Documentation of therapiesfor specific diseases and maladies should include

statusof use of
medicinal plantsin therapy (inthepast,current or changes proposed) and

alsoadjuncttherapies,
such as diets, life stylemodifications, baths, psychological or ritual treatments.
Disorderstreatedmayinclude folktermsand maladies which are culturally defined.
Dataontherapy should besupplemented by criteria fordiagonizingthedisease

ormaladyand also
by relating thetherapy tothe stageofthedisease.
ARTICLE 5 Toxicity of herbal medicines
It is recognized thattoxicological investigations are required tosupplementhuman

experience in
defining possible toxicity of herbal preparations. Where this is notdocumented in
authoritative
texts, the WHO research guidelines are appropriate.
ARTICLE 6 Clinical trials

Clinical trials are used to validate efficacy, to developnew medicines, to revise
dosage formula-
tions and to test activityof extracted purified or crude compounds. In this
respect, the WHO
researchguidelines are appropriate.
ARTICLE 7 Pharmacological studies of herbal medicines
Non-clinical studies mayberequired todetermine whether the clinical use of a herbal

medicine is
valid, to characterize its range of pharmacological actions or to study
pharmacologically active
products/compounds. In this respect, the WHO research guidelines are appropriate.
54
Appendix2
ARTICLE 8 Availability of plant material
Relevant government agencieswill be informed ofanynetworking involving bilateral

agreements
whereresearch and materials are to be conducted and made available across national
bounda-
ries. Access to materials will be on mutuafly agreed terms in accordance with
Article 15 of the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
In the event that international concensexpressinterest in bio-active agents

identified during net-
work research, equitable partnerships will be developed to accord with any relevant
national law
and theConvention on Biological Diversity so that positive inputs in economic
termscan be made
to conservation and the establishment of local production of herbal medicines.
ARTICLE 9 Indigenous knowledge
The network recognizes that traditional use of a herbal medicine is usually a

partof culture. Folk-
lore and traditional knowledge should therefore be an integral partof research
planning, and such
knowledge should be respected, acknowledged and interpreted during
thedevelopmentofresearch
proposals. Communities whichprovidesuch knowledge should be involved with research

objec-
tives, research planning, and be informed ofthe results generated.
ARTICLE 10 Sustainability of plant resources
Where collecting plantmaterial results indestruction of the plants, guidelines need

tobedeveloped
to assure regeneration.
Where plantresources are rare in nature, and over-exploited in specific

areas,orotherwise under-
going geneticerosion or population fragmentation from any cause, the network will
pursue re-
search to bring suitable genotypesinto cultivation to provide reliable and
sustainable sources of
material.
This Article accords with Article 10 of the Convention of Biological Diversity and
Chapters 15and
32 ofAgenda 21.
ARTICLE 11 Other ethical considerations
Anumber of other ethical considerations impinge on research. Thenetwork recognizes

thefollow-
ing principles:
(i)
Research planning has to differentiate between herbal medicines which have a well-
docu-
mented background resulting from long usage and those where traditional usage is
unclear
and not well-documented.
Inthis respect, questionsof safety andefficacyarise.Plants which are both effective

and non-
toxicin a particulartreatment can be promoted forwideruseforthattreatment, but,
promotionofthose which are toxic is unethical as currently used.
(ii)
The promotion of plants which are sanctioned as non-toxic but lack sanctioning as
effective
may occur where significant numbers of people exist who can have access to such
plants but
lack alternative treatments, documented and known to be effective
55
Priorities forMedicinal Plants Research and Developmentin Pakistan
(iii) Plant remedies notsanctioned to be non-toxic will not be promoted. However,

research can
be pursued on them with a view to identifying safe limits. This principle can be
appliedto
diverse sources of the same specieswhich vary in their activeprinciple contents,
and where
use in therapy can be queried on safety grounds.
(iv) Provided that no plants are known or suspected to be toxic,the promotion of

multiple plant
preparations-where one or more is notsanctioned as non-toxic- -is ethical only in
situations
where reasonable and known-to-be-safe alternatives do not exist, and where research
is
underwayto determine the safety of the non-sanctioned plant.
(v)
Whereresearch involves humanbeingsitwill be conducted in accordance with principles
of
respect forpersons, justice, benefit, and lack of maleficence.
(vi) Promotionofanyherbal remedy through thenetworkwillaccord with required
regulatory mecha-
nisms in the countryand willonlybedeemed permissible ifconcepts ofequityand
sustainable
development are taken into account.
WHO International Symposium on Medicinal Plants held at the Morris Arboretum, PA,
USA 19-
21,April,1993.
Proceedings of an International Workshop, IDRC, Ottawa, Canada, 2-4 March, 1994.
WHO Research Guidelines for Evaluating the Safety and Efficacyof Herbal Medicines,
1993.
Communication to IDAC-SARO from Ethics Committee of IDRC, Ottawa, Canada, November
1994.
56
Appendix 3
Pokhara DecIaraton
From 15-17 May 1996, a workshopwas held in Pokhara, Nepal, hosted by the Institute
of For-
estry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara. The workshopwas conducted under the auspices
of the
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); the
International Develop-
ment Research Centre (IDRC); the IDRC Medicinal Plants Network (IMPN); the
International
Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) and the International PlantGenetic Resources
Institute
(IPGRI). Itwas attended by delegates fromthe six countries of the Himalayan Region
and beyond,
including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, China and Thailand, whose fields of
expertise in-
cluded areas such as economics and management of forest and agricultural resources;
Indig-
enous peoplesand culturaltraditions and mountain development. Ways and means
ofdeveloping
specific non-timber forestresources in a moresustainable manner than hitherto
carried out were
discussed, and the conclusions reached were formulated into what has become known
as the
Pokhara Declaration.
Thedelegates agreedonthefollowing declaration:
WE RECOGNISE THAT THE FOLLOWING FACTORS ARE OF CRITICAL CONCERN:
1.
Over120 million people in the Himalayan region rely on plantproducts,
mostlyextracted from
thewild, and over 450 million people have interlinkages with this economy
downstream.
2.
Non-timber forest resources, including bamboo, rattan, and medicinal plants, play
avital role
in this region. Theyare invaluable tothe livelihoods and cultural traditions of its
richly diverse
human communities.
3.
Theregion which isecologically complex, diverse, andfragile, isheavilydegraded and
rapidly
becoming impoverished in termsof biological diversity.
4.
Many existing production systemsare equally fragile and threatened, resulting in
grave threats
to the livelihoods of millions of disadvantaged people.
5.
Degradation is directlyrelatedto factors including increasing populations;
indiscriminate ex-
traction harvesting; overgrazing; soil erosion; open cast mining; shifting

cultivation and other
changing patterns of land use.
WE ALSO TAKE NOTE OF A NUMBER OF ISSUES CONCERNING KNOWLEDGE:
1.
Thereis a wide gap in knowledge regarding collection and utilization of bamboo,
rattan, and
medicinal plantsin the region,and researchcapabilities and interests vary widely
between the
different countries ofthe region.
2.
Where information does exist, it is inadequate, uncritical, and often not easily
accessible to
researchers,farming communities, governments,and development agencies, resulting
inmany
inadequate or restrictive policies and regulations.
57
PrioritiesforMedicinalPlants Research and Developmentin Pakistan
3.
There is a lackofinformation about the demand and supplysituation; market
intelligence, and
the actual operation oflocal,national, regional and international tradeofthese
commodities.
4.
Thereisalack ofattentiontothedevelopment of appropriate technologies and extension
which
will enhance, on the one hand, the sustainable production systemsof the poor and,
on the
other, conserve the resource base, protect essential watersheds, and reduce soil
erosion.
THE WORKSHOPPARTICIPANTS AGREEDUPON HE FOLLOWNG RESOLUflON.
1.
Thereis an urgent need to conduct integrated, innovative, and collaborative
research toobtain
the information required to solvetheconstraints and problems noted above.
2.
There is an urgent need to seek peoples' participation at the grassroots community
level,
thereby makingthem full partners in the research.
3.
Such research should be strategically focused to improve conservation, cultivation,
produc-
tion, sustainable management, and utilization of a limitednumber of priority
species initially.
4. Thereisan urgent need for interdisciplinary cooperation, networking, and
information dissemi-
nation in the region.
5.
Theresults of such research should have measurable and sustainable beneficial
impacts on
economically disadvantaged people and lead to sustainable development
initiativesatall lev-
els.
58
Appendix 4
Priority Species for which Cultivation Methods are known
Acorus c�/amus
Atropaacum/nata
Berber/s spec/es
Gannabisat/va
Carum copt/cum
Can'harnus t/nctor/us
Catharanthus roseus
Chrysanthemum c/neraer/fo//um
C/char/urn /ntybus
Coich/curn luteum
Crocus sat/vus
Cum/num cyrn/nurn
Datura spec/es
D/oscorea de/to/dea
G/ycorrh/za g/abra
Hyoscyainus niger
Junierus cornmunis
Lavatera kashm/r/ana
Matr/car/a chamornilla
Mentha spec/es
Oc/rnum Spec/es
Papaversomn/ferurn
Plantagoovata
Podophyllurn ernod/
Pum/ca granatum
Rheum emod/
fi/cinus cumrnun/s
Rosa darnascena
Saussurea /appa
Sk,rnm/a /aureo/a
So/anurn khas/anum
Va/er/ana wa/llch//
W/than/a Sornm/fera
59
Through support forresearch,
Canada's InternationalDevelop-
ment Research Centre (IDRC)
assists scientists indevelopingcountriesto identif long-term,
workablesolutions topressingde-
velopment problems. Support is
given directly toscientists workinginuniversities, private enterprise,
government, andnonprofitorgani-
zations.
Priorityis given toresearch aimed

atachieving equitable and sus-
tainabledevelopmentworldwide.
Projects aredesignedto maximize
theuse oflocal materials andto
strengthenhuman and institu-

tionalcapacity.
Ledbythededicationandinnova-
tive approach ofThird World sci-

entists�often incollaboration
with Canadian partners IDRC-
supportedresearchisusingscience
andtechnology torespondto awide
range ofcomplexissues in the de-
velopingworld.
IDRCis directed byan international
BoardofGovernorsand is funded
bytheGovernmentofCanada. At
theUnited Nations Conference
onEnvironmentandDevelopment
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Medicinal & AromaticPlants Program in Asia (MAPPA)

17, Jor Bagh

New Delhi 110003

Executive Summary (ix)

Chapter 1: Cultural Background, Health Systems and the Resource Base 1

1.1 The Plant Resource Base 4

1.2 The Medicinal PlantsSupply 4

1 .3 Colle�tions of Medicinal Plants 5

1.4 Conservation of the Resource Base 6

1.5 Understanding the Wider Resource Base 6

Chapter 2: Economic Background 7

2.1 Herbal Markets 16

2.3 Constraints and Interventions in Marketing and Manufacturing Herbal Drugs 20

2.4 Exports of Medicinal Plants. 20

2.5 Constituents of Medicinal Plants 22

Chapter 3: The Traditional Health Care System 23

3.1 Government Interventions 25

3.2 Constraints to Promoting Traditional Medicine 26

3.3 New Development Directions 27

Chapter 4: Information and Coordination 29

4.1 General Constraints to Information Flow 31

4.2 Marketing and Socio-Economic Information 32

4.3 Information on Priorities 32

4.4 Access of Researchers to Information 33

4.5 tnformation on Toxicology 33

Chapter 5: Towards a Sustainable Medicinal Plants Sector in Pakistan 35

5.1 Consolidation ofthe Plant Resource Information Base 37

5.4 Urgent Implementation of Cultivation 40

5.5 InS/tuConservation and Continued Upgrading of Forestry Practices to 42

5.6 ExSituConservation for Medium to Long-Term Benefits. 42

5.7 Policy and Education 43

5.8 Future Prospects 44

1. Major Herbal Drug Dealers in Pakistan 47

2. Code of Conduct on Medicinal PlantResearch 53

4. Priority Speciesfor which Cultivation Methods are known 59

1. Medicinal Plants in the Forest Ecosystems of Swat (250-3900m) 5

2. Medicinal Plants Availability and Quantities 9

3. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar Markets of Pakistan 1.

4. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar Markets of Pakistan 17

5. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar markets of Pakistan 17

6. Consumption of Crude Drugs in Pansar Markets of Pakistan 18

7. Formulation for Mufforeh Mo'fadil 18

8. Formulation forMa'jun Anjir 19

9. Crude DrugsExported from Pakistan

10 . Tentative Priority Species for New orEnhanced Cultivation 41

these valuable plantresources toimprove theprimaryhealthcaresystem of the rural

development activities in medicinal plants are currently facing a number of

The report suggests thatfurtherstudies are needed to gain an in-depth understanding

Wehope that theactions and interventions suggestedin the

Roger Finan Madhav Karki

Regional Director Regional Program Coordinator

!DRC/SARO, New Delhi

The authors, on behalf ofthe International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

We are grateful to International Development Research Centre (IDRC),

We would like to thank all thescientists, ofticials and otherindividuals who

Finally,wehope that the information compiled in thisreportwill be avaluable

This reportreviews the current status ofthe medicinal plantssector in Pakistan,

lndus valley civilization. This traditional medicine sector provides an important

employment, thoughas yetunquantified, and health care, especially in rural and