ABSTRACT
Medicinal plants have been in use for the treatment of a range of diseases from the beginning of civilization. Around 65–80% of the world population living in developing countries believes in traditional herbal medicines for their primary health care. Even in the modern allopathic system, medicinal plants are playing a key role in public health care. According to an estimate, approximately 25% of currently used medications are obtained from different higher plants. In addition to this, the interest in plant products has increased exponentially especially the phytotherapeutic supplements (nutraceuticals) and cosmetics over the past decade. Apart from direct clinical use, these plants and their products are also utilized for agriculture in pest control in biodiversity-rich countries like India, China, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and Africa. Every nation has a sovereign right over its biodiversity which is frequently violated by the act of biopiracy or gene robbing. There are many examples of exploitation of traditionally used medicinal plants by the biotechnologically rich but biodiversity poor countries. Pentadiplandra brazzeana from tropical Africa, Vinca rosea from Madagascar, Curcuma longa, Azadirachta indica, and Withania somnifera from India are some classical examples of biopiracy. Hence, bioprospection would help the native countries in legal exploitation of the bioresources by preventing the act of biopiracy. Hence, 4bioprospection is a burning issue for biodiversity-rich countries like India, China, and tropical African nations to document their bioresources as well as to identify their useful plants, related phytochemicals and genes controlling them.
