Growing at-risk medicinal herbs. Cultivation, conservation and ecology

There is a wide range in the amount of active
contituents found in wild and cultivated species.
Atractyloides in China is a good example of the
problems of cultivation of an important medicinal
plant and its wild counterpart. Unfortunate that
United Plant Savers takes a frog's eye view from the
bottom of a well, and too, these new books, while
important, blind one to events elsewhere. After alll,
once a species is named for investigation, it becomes
fair game across the world. UPS' pretending not to
notice when I pose current research on their board for
example Caulophyllum seems Cyclopean. I learned to not
deal with them early on. In fact, examples such as
theirs is one of the reasons for the generation,
protection, and preservation of esoterica.

Regards,
Mike


--- Uwe Schippmann <uwe.schippmann@bfn.de> wrote:

> Cech, R. & Cech, S. (2002): Growing at-risk
> medicinal herbs. Cultivation, conservation and
> ecology. - vii+314 pp., Horizon Herbs, Williams,
> USA.
>
> Contact: PO Box 69, Williams, Oregon, 97544-0069,
> USA, www.horizonherbs.com, Price: US $ 14.95.
>
> Review: Despite many efforts from responsible
> harvesters, craftsmen and authorities alike, wild
> harvesting of medicinal plants is in many cases
> still far from being sustainable on a long-term
> basis. This book is full of examples were
> unregulated collection has at least locally
> extinguised populations of valuable plants which
> used to be thriving and plentiful. Powered by this
> background of continuing loss, the author has put
> together his comprehensive experience as a plant
> grower, focussing on the species which have to be
> regarded "at risk" in the United Plant Saver's
> terminology. 17 plant species and three genera are
> covered (in Cypripedium twelve species are
> differentiated, nine in Echinacea), each with an
> entry of 10-12 pages. Typically, the following
> headings are covered for each of them: range (i.e.
> distribution, mostly in the US; with a US state map
> with present/not present status; in the case of
> Piper methysticum a map of the Pacific islands);
> hardiness and adaptability; ecology; plant
> community; life cycle; cultivation from seed;
> cultivation from sections, cuttings or runners;
> general care (after establishment of plants; aspects
> of soils, water, fertilization); medicine (i.e.
> plant parts used); yield; harvest, processing and
> storage; seed collecting, cleaning, storage and
> longevity; conservation status; adulteration and
> nomenclature; information on other species; and
> literature references.
> In the conservation sections, the authors pull
> together data on domestic or international trade, if
> available, and assess the causes of threat for the
> species, over-harvest, land use changes or habitat
> loss. In Dionaea muscipula, e.g., the number of
> historic populations in North and South Carolina are
> compared to the numbers still existing. A quote on
> Venus fly trap: "In nature it lives in noble
> colonies, but it becomes a freak in the novelty
> trade: individuated, cupped in styrofoam, capped by
> a plastic bubble, overstimulated by prodding
> pencil-point and fed fatal bits of cheese".
> As an ultimate bonus all taxa are presented as b/w
> drawings carried out by Sena Cech, both portraying
> above-ground and underground plant parts (my
> favourite: Trillium erectum, p. 224). This book is a
> treasure chest for gardeners and non-gardeners. It
> is available at the authors' own publishing house,
> straight from Williams, Oregon, for an unbeatable
> US$ 14.95.
>
> Taxa covered: Aletris farinosa, Aristolochia
> serpentaria, Caulophyllum thalictroides,
> Chamaelirium luteum, Cimicifuga racemosa,
> Cypripedium acaule, Cypripedium arietinum,
> Cypripedium californicum, Cypripedium candidum,
> Cypripedium fasciculatum, Cypripedium guttatum,
> Cypripedium kentuckiense, Cypripedium montanum,
> Cypripedium parviflorum, Cypripedium passerinum,
> Cypripedium pubescens, Cypripedium reginae, Dionaea
> muscipula, Dioscorea quaternata, Dioscorea villosa,
> Drosera rotundifolia, Echinacea, Hydrastis
> canadensis, Ligusticum porteri, Lomatium dissectum,
> Lophophora williamsii, Panax quinquefolius, Piper
> methysticum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Stillingia
> sylvatica, Trillium erectum, Ulmus rubra
>
> Prepared by Uwe Schippmann