Diversity and conservation of medicinal plants in tropical East Africa

Medicinal plants play a crucial role in healthcare practices and are an integral part of human society. A comprehensive checklist of medicinal plants is the basis for the risk and protection. Tropical East Africa (TEA) has a high diversity of medicinal plants. This study compiled a comprehensive checklist using published books and literature comprising 2855 medicinal plants spanning 180 families and 1034 genera in TEA. The family with the largest number of medicinal plant species is Fabaceae, followed by Asteraceae and Rubiaceae. The root emerges as the most utilized part in woody medicinal plants, contrasting with herbaceous plants where leaves take precedence. The regions with high diversity of medicinal plants are mainly concentrated in northern and southern Rwanda, western Burundi, western Uganda, central and western Kenya, as well as northeastern and southwestern Tanzania. Priority conservation areas for medicinal plants were identified based on specific species and risk of collection, and included regions of west-central Kenya, northeastern Tanzania, and eastern Burundi. Our research emphasizes the significance of protecting these valuable medicinal plants by proposing corresponding conservation measures. The medicinal plant resources of TEA remain an opportunity for exploration, and the diversity of medicinal plants needs to be further improved.