High Altitude Medicinal Plants - Botany, Conservation and Cultivation

This volume explores the unique botanical wealth of high altitude medicinal plants, examining their ecological significance, traditional uses, and the urgent need for conservation.
For millennia, humans have turned to plants not only for sustenance and shelter but also for healing. Nowhere is this relationship more profound—and more at risk—than in the alpine regions of the world’s great mountain ranges. These high-altitude ecosystems, though rich in medicinal biodiversity, are fragile and increasingly threatened by both natural forces and human exploitation.
This comprehensive volume opens with an exploration of the physiological adaptations that enable these plants to survive in extreme altitudinal and climatic conditions. Subsequent chapters are dedicated to their ethnobotanical and traditional uses, as well as their phytochemistry and bioactive compounds with potential for phytopharmaceutical applications. The book also examines the challenges of uncontrolled wild harvesting and trade and addresses short- and long-term conservation strategies, including micropropagation and cryopreservation. The socio-economic importance of these plants in supporting mountain livelihoods is also evaluated. Finally, the book outlines future strategies for ensuring the sustainable use and preservation of this invaluable botanical heritage.
From ancient wisdom to cutting-edge cultivation techniques, High Altitude Medicinal Plants is a vital resource for botanists, pharmacologists, and conservationists in both academia and industry. With a focus on sustainable practices, this book also serves as a guide to safeguarding these invaluable natural treasures for future generations.

List of contents

Chapter 1. The Mountain Environment, Its Biodiversity and Home of Rare Plant Species.- Chapter 2. Climatic Change and Physiological Adaptations in Alpine Medicinal Plants.- Chapter 3. Changes in Growth and Metabolism of Alpine Plants Along Altitudinal and Microhabitat Gradients.- Chapter 4. High Altitude Medicinal Plants: Traditional Uses And Distribution Patterns. - Chapter 5. Available Knowledge, Trends In Research, And Future Prospects Of High-Altitude Medicinal Plants.- Chapter 6. Ethnobotany of Medicinal Plants from High Mountains: The Case Study of Lombardy (Italy).- Chapter 7. Pharmaceutical Potentials of Alpine Plants: A Special Reference to their Antioxidant Properties.- Chapter 8. Traditional Ise, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Potential of Crocus Sativus and Emblica officinalis: High Value Medicinal Plants from North Western Himalayan Mountains.- Chapter 9. Medicinal Potential of Himalayan High-Altitude Plants: A significant Resource for Healthcare and their Socioeconomics Significance.- Chapter 10. High Altitude Medicinal Plants and Integrative Medicine in Bhutan: Identification, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties.- Chapter 11. Drugs Derived from High Altitude Plants.- Chapter 12. Cultivation and Conservation of High Value Medicinal and Aromatic Plants from The Himalayas.- Chapter 13. Conservation and Propagation of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle: A Rare and Endangered Alpine Medicinal Herb.- Chapter 14. Harnessing Biotechnology for the Conservation of High-Altitude Medicinal Plants.- Chapter 15. Asteraceae Plants From Eastern Himalayan Region Of India: An Overview On Potential Ethnomedicinal Application And In Vitro Conservation.- Chapter 16. Propagation and Conservation of Taxus baccata in Indian Himalaya.- Chapter 17. Conservation and Cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in the High Altitudes of Uttarakhand, India.- Chapter 18. Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Nanotechnology of Nepeta leucophylla Benth.: A Himalayan Aromatic Medicinal Plant.- Chapter 19. Phytoconstiuents, Pharmacalogy, Production Technology and in-vitro microprogation studies of High value Trans Himalayn Medicinal Plant Rhodiola imbricata Murr.- Chapter 20. Endophytes of Taxus wallichiana Zucc. (Himalayan yew): Host-microbe interaction benefits.- Chapter 21. Elevated Remedies: The Botany, Conservation, and Cultivation of Saffron and Native New Mexican Herbs. - Chapter 22. Cryobanking: The New Noah’s Ark for Diverse Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.- Chapter 23. Illicit Trade and Genetic Erosion: The Plight of Trillium govanianum in the Himalayan Region.- Chapter 24. Alpine Medicinal Plants in the Himalayas: Contribution to Mountain Livelihood, Socio-economy, and their Marketing.- 25. Commercial Harvesting and the Future of Alpine Medicinal Plants.
 
.

About the author

Suman Chandra, PhD Suman Chandra earned his MS degree in Physics, MPhil in Environmental Plant Physiology, and PhD in Plant Physiology from the High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Center at HNB Garhwal University, India. He worked at the High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Center and GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment in India between 1992 and 2000. In 2001, Dr. Chandra joined the University of Mississippi, where he currently holds the positions of Principal Scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research and Research Professor of BioMolecular Sciences at the School of Pharmacy. With over 30 years of experience in medicinal plant research, Dr. Chandra’s areas of interest include conservation, cultivation, and enhancement of medicinal plants, as well as studying the effects of climate change on the physiology and secondary metabolites of medicinally important plants. He has authored more than 100 publications, delivered over 100 presentations, and has two books in his credit.
Hemant Lata, PhD Hemant Lata earned her PhD in Plant Physiology from the High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Center at HNB Garhwal University, India. She received her MS in Biotechnology from Guru Nanak Dev University, India, and BS in Botany (Hons.) from the University of Delhi, India. She completed her Post-Doctoral training at the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Cytogenetics in the Department of Botany at the University of Delhi. In 2000, she joined The University of Mississippi as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate and was promoted to a research faculty position in December 2003. Currently, Dr. Lata serves as a Principal Scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research and Research Professor of BioMolecular Sciences at the School of Pharmacy. She has developed, and published micropropagation protocols for several high value medicinal plants. With over 30 years of experience in plant biotechnology, her research focus on screening, micropropagation, conservation, and multiplication of medicinal plants. Dr. Lata has authored more than 100 publications and edited two books on medicinally important plants.
 

Summary

This volume explores the unique botanical wealth of high altitude medicinal plants, examining their ecological significance, traditional uses, and the urgent need for conservation.
For millennia, humans have turned to plants not only for sustenance and shelter but also for healing. Nowhere is this relationship more profound—and more at risk—than in the alpine regions of the world’s great mountain ranges. These high-altitude ecosystems, though rich in medicinal biodiversity, are fragile and increasingly threatened by both natural forces and human exploitation.
This comprehensive volume opens with an exploration of the physiological adaptations that enable these plants to survive in extreme altitudinal and climatic conditions. Subsequent chapters are dedicated to their ethnobotanical and traditional uses, as well as their phytochemistry and bioactive compounds with potential for phytopharmaceutical applications. The book also examines the challenges of uncontrolled wild harvesting and trade and addresses short- and long-term conservation strategies, including micropropagation and cryopreservation. The socio-economic importance of these plants in supporting mountain livelihoods is also evaluated. Finally, the book outlines future strategies for ensuring the sustainable use and preservation of this invaluable botanical heritage.
From ancient wisdom to cutting-edge cultivation techniques, High Altitude Medicinal Plants is a vital resource for botanists, pharmacologists, and conservationists in both academia and industry. With a focus on sustainable practices, this book also serves as a guide to safeguarding these invaluable natural treasures for future generations.

Product details

• Assisted by: Suman Chandra (Editor), Lata (Editor), Hemant Lata (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer International Publishing
• Languages: English, German
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 01.12.2025
• EAN: 9783031994050
• ISBN: 978-3-031-99405-0
• Illustrations: Approx. 450 p. 105 illus., 65 illus. in color., schwarz-weiss Illustrationen, farbige Illustrationen
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Botany; Biotechnologie, Ökologie, Biosphäre, Forstwirtschaft und Waldbau: Praxis und Techniken, Pflanzenbiologie, Plant Ecology, Forestry, Plant Science, Plant Biotechnology, Secondary metabolites, Alpine Botany, High-altitude, Alpine Medicinal Plants, Rare Plants, Endangered Plants