Page 60 - 2025中醫藥與天然藥物聯合學術研討會-中醫藥與天然藥物的挑戰Ｘ機遇與未來大會手冊

Chinese Materia Medica and Other Herbal Medicines – the Impact of

Climate Change and Rising Global Demands on Sustainability Sourcing

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1
Michael Heinrich,* ,1,2 Banaz Jalil, Inggritha Takubessi, Olha Mykhailenko 1,3,4

1 Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy Group, UCL School of Pharmacy WC 1N 1AX, United
Kingdom
2 Chinese Medicine Research Centre, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University,
Taichung, Taiwan
3 National University of Pharmacy, Kharkiv, Ukraine;
4 Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
* E-mail: m.heinrich@ucl.ac.uk

Abstract
Climate change and human activities severely impact plants and ecosystems, threatening
biodiversity, healthcare resources, and sustainable development of plant-based products.
Medicinal plants, including Chinese materia medica, are widely traded and provide key
ecosystem services, but face increasing risks to their long-term viability. However, these species
are also relevant for ecosystem services including climate mitigation, and for their socio-
economic role.
Recently, we proposed a new framework for assessing the impact of climate change and more
generally the sustainable sourcing of natural products and herbal medicines (Mykhailenko et al
2025), including the main factors to better understand and address the vulnerability of a species,
hence mitigate the impact of climate change. Biotic and abiotic (ecosystem) determinants affect
species distribution and long-term survival, which in turn influence the quality of plants used
as herbal medicines and other high-value products. Four research priorities emerge: climate
effects, bioeconomic drivers, habitat conditions (incl. human pressure), and reproductive
success.
In a scoping review we are currently assessing the state of research on how climate change
affects medicinal plants, focusing on ecological shifts, traditional uses, changes in secondary
metabolites, and adaptation strategies (Takubessi et al., n.d.). Research output has rapidly
expanded, dominated by studies on Asian resources, especially China, with limited coverage of
Africa, Europe, and South America. So far, 357 species have been assessed, including climate-
sensitive high-altitude taxa. Shifts in secondary metabolite production, linked to stress factors
such as drought, indicate a need for new analytical methods.
Conservation gaps remain severe: 40.6% of species are classified as threatened by IUCN,
while 59.4% remain unevaluated. Species Distribution Modeling (SDM), especially MaxEnt,
is the main tool for vulnerability assessment.
Climate change is reshaping both ecology and pharmacological value of medicinal plants.
This requires refocused research, sustainable sourcing, and better regulation of which
products—such as supplements or cosmetics—can be safely commercialised.

Keywords: TCM; Endangered medicinal plants; Ecosystem factors; Climate change; Natural
compounds

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