Towards Sustainability in the Source of Raw Materials for Herbal Remedies

Plants, especially herbs, are an essential part of the world’s biodiversity; they are crucial to maintaining the environment. Natural ecosystems and the variety of plants that they support are crucial to human welfare and way of life because they offer the conditions for life to exist. For food, and other essentials for maintaining life, about 7000 plant species are used. A number of studies into the biological mechanisms and chemical make-up of herbal treatments have been made, and these investigations have proven to be quite helpful in identifying bioactive plants. The use of these therapeutic herbs is quickly spreading over the world due to the rising demand for herbal medications, herbal treatments, and their secondary metabolites. Unfortunately, the majority of herbal remedies found in natural settings are now increasingly at risk due to their unsustainable use and overexploitation. As a result, many highly valued species are fast becoming extinct. This situation is largely caused by a rise in human population, development, habitat alteration, and the increasing dependence of the vast majority of people on the planet’s limited natural assets. This calls on management at all levels to pay attention to the usage and threat to these valuable resources to increase their sustainability.