Species selection for pharmacognostic studies

Despite the enormous potential of plants and the long history of medicinal plant usage, the field of pharmacognosy remains relatively under studied. It has been estimated that <10% of the approximately 300,000–500,000 species of plants worldwide have been studied for one or more bioactivities. Yet plant derived medicines account for a major proportion of modern drugs, with estimates that more than 25% of prescription drugs contain at least one ingredient derived from plants. Furthermore, natural medicines remain widely used, in developed as well as in developing countries. With so many plants yet to be tested and the huge potential of pharmacognosy/phytopharmacology, it is essential for researchers to narrow the field. Several criteria are useful in selecting plants for study.