People and Plants Working Paper
March 1995
African Medicinal Plants
Setting priorities at the interface between conservation and primary healthcare
by A.B.Cunningham

CONTENT

Abstract

Introduction

Medicinal plant use in Africa

• The role of traditional medical practitioners
• Customary controls on medicinal plant gathering
• Dynamics of the commercial trade
  • Domestic trade
  • International trade
• The impact of the trade in medicinal plants
  • Sustainable supplies of traditional medicines
  • Sustainability of chewing stick harvesting
  • Supplying international trade
• The real price of trade
• The reasons for concern
• Focus of management effort
• Conditions for cultivation as an alternative source of supply
  

Policy priorities for conservation and primary healthcare

• Key issues
• Conservation strategy
• Policy recommendations
  • International and national policy
• Sharing the costs
• Conservation methods
  • In-situ conservation
  • Buffer zones and ex-situ conservation
    • Buffer zones
    • Traditional medical practitioners
    • Conservation through commercial cultivation
    • Botanical gardens and field gene banks
    • Other recommendations
• Education and training
• Research and monitoring
  

Conclusions

• Conclusions
• Acknowledgements
• Personal communications
• References
• Appendix 1: African medicinal plants observed in trade
• Appendix 2: Plant species mentioned in text