Ancient healing traditions face extinction as climate change destroys medicinal plants worldwide

In Nepal’s remote kingdom of Lo Manthang, traditional healer Gyatso Bista witnesses a troubling transformation. Where once 40 kilograms of kutki—a bitter herb crucial for treating fevers and liver problems—would arrive by horseback from mountain harvests, now barely 5 kilograms can be found. This dramatic decline reflects a global crisis threatening ancient healing systems that billions depend on.

Bista practices Sowa Rigpa, a 2,500-year-old Tibetan healing tradition, but he’s watching his medicinal pharmacy disappear. Across the world, over 80% of people rely on traditional plant-based medicine for primary healthcare, yet the botanical foundation of these healing systems is crumbling under climate pressure. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, deforestation, and overharvesting are pushing essential medicinal plants toward extinction.

“For many common illnesses, these traditional remedies are really our first aid,” explains Mingay Dakias of the Manobo-Dulangan Indigenous community in the southern Philippines. “We usually rely on these treatments first.” This dependence makes the loss particularly devastating for communities with limited access to modern healthcare.

A comprehensive study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology reveals the scope of this botanical emergency. Researchers examining 367 medicinal plant species found that climate change has already reduced suitable habitats for 106 species over the past two decades, with another 94 species facing similar threats. From Nepal’s vanishing kutki to the Himalayan blue poppy teetering on extinction, humanity’s ancient pharmaceutical knowledge—accumulated over millennia—risks disappearing within decades, leaving vulnerable populations without their traditional healing resources.