The need for bioactivity-safety evaluation and conservation of medicinal plants - a review.

The use of medicinal plants as raw materials in the production of new drugs is ever increasing because of their potentials in combating the problem of drug resistance in micro-organisms. Demand for medicinal plants is increasing in both developing and developed countries. Research on medicinal plants is one of the leading areas of research globally. However, there is a need to pay closer attention to the issue of bioactivity-safety evaluation and conservation of medicinal plants. Although some of the screening tests on medicinal plants are performed in vitro, the fact still remains that the ultimate aim of the researcher is to use the medicinal plants to treat diseases in humans and animals, who has to take the product orally or through other means into the system. There is also the need to conserve the medicinal plants to prevent their total extinction from the natural flora. This is because the expanding trade in medicinal plants has serious implications on the survival of several plant species, with many under serious threat to become extinct. The aim of this review is to justify and emphasize the need for the bioactivity-safety evaluation and conservation of the medicinal plants.