Towards the end of the 20th century, pharmacognosy was seen by many as an obsolescent science. The future for the development of new medicines seemed to lie solely in the laboratory, where drug candidates were being synthesised from blueprints produced with the aid of computers. But, as our report of a recent symposium shows (p701), there has been a resurgence of interest in the medicinal use of natural products. And, while pharmacognosists continue to explore the opportunities offered by higher plants, they are increasingly turning their attention to other possible drug sources, including various marine organisms, amphibians and lichens.
As well as outlining recent progress in the hunt for new drugs of natural origin, the symposium raises two general areas of concern. One is that the United Kingdom may be falling behind other nations in its contribution to 21st century pharmacognosy. According to Douglas Kinghorn, a British pharmacist who is professor of pharmacognosy at a university in the United States, Japan is leading the way with a "staggering" output of papers on research into natural products. In the US, millions of dollars are being allocated to research into natural products and a number of initiatives have been launched to foster pharmacognosy. But the UK is way behind, suggests Professor Kinghorn, and its policy makers need to take note. Pharmacy students are interested in pharmacognosy, he says, and it should be a major part of their curriculum.
The other general point arising from the symposium is the need to ensure that searching the natural world for novel drug substances causes no harm to vulnerable flora and fauna and makes no intrusion into the rights and cultures of indigenous peoples. Severe environmental damage has already been caused by activities such as war, overgrazing, pollution, deforestation and reckless tourism. And some of the plant and animal species most at risk are to be found in those groups of organisms that pharmacognosists are now investigating. Marine life is threatened by uncontrolled pollution of the oceans. Research into substances derived from frog venoms is taking place at a time when amphibian populations throughout the world are in sharp decline. And, as "Onlooker" points out this week (p680), immense harm has already been done to lichen populations by agricultural chemicals and wilful vandalism.
As well as leading to new medicines, the work of pharmacognosists could be of benefit in drawing attention to the need to protect sensitive resources. But those who exploit the pharmacognosists' findings must take great care not to add to the damage already inflicted on the environment.