Preliminary assessment of the conservation status of medicinal plant species in Canada1

Natural health products in North America represent a $9.6 billion USD industry that has seen increased demands, particularly in products for immune support and in anti-viral supplements as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been estimated that approximately 40% of the plant raw materials used in natural health products are wild harvested each year, but exact data are missing for many species. Our data show that there are at least 1445 medicinal plant species harvested for commercial products in Canada, and 1217 of these are native species. Medicinal plants and non-timber forest crops are also increasingly impacted by climate change as suitable growing areas shift. To ensure long-term species survival in the wild, it is necessary to generate accurate information about the distribution of wild populations, the need for conservation, and the development of sustainable methods. Our objective was to provide a preliminary assessment of the conservation status of Canadian medicinal plants by analyzing the available data resources.

Automated summary

The natural health products industry in North America is worth $9.6 billion USD and has seen increased demand for immune support and anti-viral supplements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Canada, there are at least 1445 medicinal plant species used in commercial products, with 1217 of them being native species. Climate change is also affecting medicinal plants and non-timber forest crops as suitable growing areas shift.