The impact of climate change on medicinal plant availability and efficacy

Title : The impact of climate change on medicinal plant availability and efficacy

Abstract:

Medicinal plants have been fundamental in both traditional and modern medicine, offering a wide array of bioactive compounds crucial for therapeutic purposes. The escalating impact of climate change presents notable risks to the accessibility and effectiveness of these essential resources. The primary objective of this investigation is to explore the diverse effects of climate change on medicinal plants, concentrating on aspects such as their geographical distribution, growth environments, and medicinal properties. A thorough examination of current literature was carried out, encompassing scholarly articles, climate projections, and botanical research. The results demonstrate that climate change has a significant influence on the habitat ranges and population dynamics of medicinal plants. Elevated temperatures, modified precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events disrupt the growth cycles of plants, resulting in diminished biomass and compromised production of secondary metabolites. The study emphasizes the pressing necessity for adaptive conservation measures to protect the diversity of medicinal plants. The changing climate represents a significant menace to the availability and effectiveness of medicinal plants, with substantial repercussions for global health and the pharmaceutical sector. To ensure the continued use of these priceless natural resources in medicine, proactive measures are necessary for their conservation.

Keywords: Climate change, medicinal plants, phytochemicals, therapeutic efficacy.

Biography:

Dr. Ali Yetgin is an accomplished R&D Specialist at Toros Agri, where he leads the submission of national and international project proposals and serves as the editor for the company's Innovation/R&D bulletin. He earned his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Cukurova University, with his doctoral research focusing on the development of novel microbial fertilizers. Prior to his doctorate, he completed both his Master of Science in Biotechnology and his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Izmir Institute of Technology. He began his research career at the Dokuz Eylül University Microbiology Laboratory. He is a prolific author with 76 publications to his name, including 1 book, 3 book chapters, 30 peer-reviewed articles, and 42 conference papers, reflecting his deep expertise in the field.