Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; Wageningen University (Biosystematics Group), P.O. Box 647, 6700 AP Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2014 Feb 12;151(3):1100-1108. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.12.019. Epub 2013 Dec 22.
Herbal medicine markets are essential in understanding the importance of medicinal plants amongst a country's inhabitants. They are also instrumental in identifying plant species with resource management priorities. To document the diversity of the medicinal plant market in Benin (West Africa), to quantify the weight of traded species in order to evaluate their economic value, and to make a first assessment of their vulnerability for commercial extraction.
We quantitatively surveyed 22 market stalls of 16 markets in the country's eight largest urban areas. We collected all plant (parts) following standard botanical methods and recorded uses, prices and local names, and weighed and counted the numbers of sales units.
We recorded 307 medicinal products corresponding to ca. 283 species. Thirty-five species were encountered in at least 25% of the surveyed stalls, from which ten are locally endangered or red-listed by the IUCN. Examples of vulnerable species included Caesalpinia bonduc, which has been declared extinct in the wild but is largely cultivated in home gardens, and was exploited for its seeds, roots, and leaves, and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides which was harvested for its bark, roots, and leaves. Other top-selling fruits and seeds included red-listed species: Monodora myristica, Xylopia aethiopica, and Schrebera arborea. Top-selling woody plant parts included the roots of Sarcocephalus latifolius, Mondia whitei, and the barks of Khaya senegalensis and Pteleopsis suberosa. All but Sarcocephalus latifolius and Pteleopsis subersosa were species with some threat status. Plants sold at the market were mainly used for ritual purposes, women's health, and to treat malaria and its symptoms.
Our results suggest that the domestic medicinal plant market in Benin is of substantial economic importance. A volume of approximately 655 metric tons worth 2.7 million USD is offered for sale annually. Traditional spiritual beliefs seem to be a major driving force behind the trade in herbal medicine.
草药市场对于了解一个国家居民中药用植物的重要性至关重要。它们还有助于确定具有资源管理优先级的植物物种。为了记录贝宁（西非）药用植物市场的多样性，量化交易物种的重量，以评估其经济价值，并对商业开采的脆弱性进行初步评估。
我们对该国八个最大城市地区的 16 个市场的 22 个摊位进行了定量调查。我们按照标准植物学方法收集了所有植物（部分），记录了用途、价格和当地名称，并称重和计数销售单位的数量。
我们记录了 307 种药用产品，对应约 283 种物种。35 种物种在至少 25%的调查摊位中出现，其中 10 种是当地濒危物种或 IUCN 红色名录中的物种。脆弱物种的例子包括已宣布野外灭绝但在家庭花园中大量种植的 Bonduc 豆，其种子、根和叶被开发利用，以及 Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides，其树皮、根和叶被收获。其他畅销的水果和种子包括红色名录物种：Monodora myristica、Xylopia aethiopica 和 Schrebera arborea。畅销的木本植物部分包括 Sarcocephalus latifolius、Mondia whitei 和 Khaya senegalensis 和 Pteleopsis suberosa 的根。除了 Sarcocephalus latifolius 和 Pteleopsis subersosa 之外，所有这些物种都存在一些威胁。市场上销售的植物主要用于仪式目的、妇女健康以及治疗疟疾及其症状。
我们的结果表明，贝宁国内药用植物市场具有重要的经济重要性。每年约有 655 公吨，价值 270 万美元的药用植物可供出售。传统的精神信仰似乎是草药贸易的主要驱动力。
