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Potential consequence of plant extinction in the United States on the current and future availability of prescription drugs

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Abstract

This paper attempts to answer the question: What is the dollar value that can be placed on a single plant species now growing in the United States, should it become extinct? Based on available botanical and prescription survey data and data on global studies of plants as a source of new drugs for human use, the value of a single species is calculated to be $203 million, and the total value of plant species growing in the United States that may become extinct by the year 2000 AD is calculated to be about $3,248 billion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, 60612, Chicago, IL

    Djaja Doel Soejarto

Authors
  1. Norman R. Farnsworth
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  2. Djaja Doel Soejarto
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Farnsworth, N.R., Soejarto, D.D. Potential consequence of plant extinction in the United States on the current and future availability of prescription drugs. Econ Bot 39, 231–240 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858792

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858792

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