BBC: Medical plants 'face extinction' -- potentially five billion people at risk, page 1

BBC: Medical plants 'face extinction' -- potentially five billion people at risk

news.bbc.co.uk

Hundreds of medicinal plants are at risk of extinction, threatening the discovery of future cures for disease, according to experts.

Over 50% of prescription drugs are derived from chemicals first identified in plants.

But the Botanic Gardens Conservation International said many were at risk from over-collection and deforestation.

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Awful news for those hoping on future cures through discovery. The article went on to say this:

Researchers warned the cures for things such as cancer and HIV may become "extinct before they are ever found"...

...the report said as well as future breakthroughs being put at risk, the situation was likely to have a consequence in the developing world.

It said five billion people still rely on traditional plant-based medicine as their primary form of health care.

Report author Belinda Hawkins said: "The loss of the world's medicinal plants may not always be at the forefront of the public consciousness.

"However, it is not an overstatement to say that if the precipitous decline of these species is not halted, it could destabilise the future of global healthcare."

In the *additional news link* area I placed the 'world stat clock' website which runs in 'real time' -- there, you can see how quickly species are going extinct.

news.bbc.co.uk
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