Plant Resource Availability of Medicinal Fritillaria Species in Traditional Producing Regions in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Dongdong Wang,Dongdong Wang,Dongdong Wang,Shu Wang,Xiong Chen,Xiong Chen,Atanas G Atanasov,Atanas G Atanasov,Atanas G Atanasov,Xiao Yi

doi:10.3389/fphar.2017.00502

Abstract

The genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae) comprises of ~140 species of bulbous perennials, which are distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Fritillaria species have attracted much attention because of their commercial value, partly as ornamental plants but principally as a source of material for use in traditional medicine. The use of Fritillaria extracts is well established in some countries in Eastern Europe (e.g., Turkey), and Asia (e.g., China, Japan). In traditional Chinese medicine, the medicinal Fritillaria species is called Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae (BFC), which has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports on resource investigation of plants of BFC in the last ten years. In this study, we chose 32 traditional producing regions in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to perform an investigation on resource availability of BFC. In five sites we did not find any plants of BFC. Results show that the average number of the plants of BFC per quadrat in 26 sites was less than 7, and the average resource density was <22 mg/m2. Habitat types and plant morphology of BFC plants were recorded. Our investigation shows that the area for artificial cultivation of BFC is larger than 400 hm2 and productivity was higher than 180 t. In addition, the total alkaloid contents of samples from cultivated bases and plantations are higher than that from wild fields. This study suggests that the wild populations of BFC are still at the risk of depletion. Artificial cultivation of BFC might be an important way to resolve the current contradiction between resource protection and resource utilization. In addition, identifying the closest European relatives of the Fritillaria species used in traditional medicine may resolve this contradiction.

Highlights

The genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae) comprises of ∼140 species of bulbous perennials (Day et al, 2014), which are distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere and currently divided into eight subgenera (Rix et al, 2001)
In traditional Chinese medicine, the medicinal Fritillaria species is called Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae (BFC), known by the Chinese name “Chuan Bei Mu,” which has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years
The present study focused on investigation of the current resource status of BFC in traditional BFC-producing regions in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Yunnan provinces in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Summary

Introduction

The genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae) comprises of ∼140 species of bulbous perennials (Day et al, 2014), which are distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere and currently divided into eight subgenera (Rix et al, 2001). Plant Resource of Fritillaria Species in traditional medicine (Day et al, 2014). The use of Fritillaria extracts is well established in some countries in Eastern Europe (e.g., Turkey; Atta ur et al, 1994; Day et al, 2014). Locals of Çatak in Turkey use some Fritillaria species in treatment of several diseases, for example wound healing (Mukemre et al, 2015). The medicinal use of Fritillaria species is well established in China, the Himalayas (India, Nepal, and Pakistan), Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia (Day et al, 2014). In traditional Chinese medicine, the medicinal Fritillaria species is called Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae (BFC), known by the Chinese name “Chuan Bei Mu,” which has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years

Methods

Results

Conclusion