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Wanwangun: Critically endangered medicinal plant needs conservation

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Humera Gulzar

Podophyllum hexandrum an important and critically endangered species in India and Northern Himalaya is a herbaceous plant belonging to the family Berberidaceae. The perennial herb P hexandrum is native to the lower elevations of Himalayan countries like India, China, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan. In India, Podophyllum hexandrum is mostly found in Alpine Himalayas (3000-4000 m ASL) of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. In Kashmir it is found wild in various places like Dara in Srinagar, Special Forest Division (Tangmarg), Sindh Forest Division (Ganderbal) and various other places in south Kashmir as well. It has been used in the traditional system of medicine from time immemorial in Kashmir and is locally known as Banwangun, since its red colour fruit (berry) is the size of small brinjal. Podophyllum hexandrum is commonly called as Himalayan May apple because its fruits ripen in spring. The rhizome of plants contains an important chemical “podophyllotoxin” which is used to produce anti-cancer drugs.  Podophyllotoxin is used for the treatment of various diseases like brain tumours, venereal warts, carcinoma, testicular cancer, melanoma, small cell lung cancer, adenocarcinoma, neuroblastoma etc. The Podophyllum hexandrum is also traditionally used as cathartic, cholagogue, alterative and bitter tonic. It is used against cold, septic wounds, burning sensations, mental disorders, rheumatism and also to provide relief in some of the allergic and inflammatory conditions of the skin. The demand for podophyllotoxin to produce anticancer drugs coupled with its existing use in traditional systems of medicine has resulted in the ruthless uprooting of the ground parts of the plant, lead to the decline of its natural population, as a result, the species occurred in the list of ‘critically endangered’ species as per IUCN criteria. The ripened fruits of Podophyllum are edible and used against fever in the traditional systems of medicine. 

Threats:

Podophyllum hexandrum has greatly declined in nature due to its high demand and unskilled overexploitation. Seed germination and seedling establishment are very poor under natural conditions. In earlier times Podophyllum was used in folk medicine by local healers in small quantities, but commercialization of the plant for its various medicinal purposes in recent years has increased demand and exploitation. The wild population of Podophyllum has declined owing to its overexploitation habitat fragmentation, and long seed dormancy.  

Conservation strategies

Since IUCN has declared Podophyllum a critically endangered plant, serious efforts need to be done in order to prevent this immensely important plant from extinction. Exploitation in wild should be strongly prohibited at the government level in order to conserve the plant in their natural habitat.  Commercial cultivation can be done to increase the number thereby protecting the plant in its natural habitat.  Proper seed dormancy-breaking treatments can be given so that the seeds will germinate earlier than the usual time. When growing commercially the survival of the plant should be ensured by transferring it to greenhouses / shady moist places for its proper growth as it thrives best under shade.

The plant can also be propagated by vegetative root cuttings. Plant tissue culture technique is an alternative practice for micropropagation. Sustainable harvesting practices are required in order to prevent any kind of damage to plants.  It is, therefore, important to initiate steps for its large-scale multiplication and developing cultivation packages. This would reduce the pressure on wild populations and help in the conservation of the plant.

The author is a PhD scholar at SKUAST-K. You can reach her at humairagulzar12@gmail.com

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