Medicines herbal

Ukraine is very rich in natural resources of valuable plant species, including medicinal herbs. However, the resource potential of numerous valuable species is limited, so identification of potential resources of valuable species and development of principles for their sustainable use are of national significance.

Exhaustion of natural phytoresources of many valuable species growing in Ukraine may be explained by a lack of adequate coordination between the main ministries and other central government bodies responsible for the resources in question, procurement organizations and the pharmacological industry. Out of 1,**5 species of vascular plants with medicinal properties, **6 species are biologically linked with forest phytocenosis, though the number of tree species is inconsiderable (*6 species). About *0 species are bushes and subshrubs, the rest are grasses. **2 species are typical representatives of meadow-swamp, meadow-steppe, meadows, and areas near water, while **7 species constitute a group of synantropic species, which actively penetrate into damaged areas of any phytocenosis, including forest ones.

Natural species of medicinal herbs are harvested by branches of the Ukrainian Wholesale Union, the Limited Liability Company "Liktravy" and the State Consortium "Urkphytotherapy". The absence of coordinated activities of these organizations cause difficulties in the development and implementation of programmes to provide for national production of medical herb preparations, sustainable use of natural phytoresources, and regeneration of such resources. The results of research on vascular plants have shown that out of 5,**0 species, **5 species should be protected; **9 species are in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, *3 of them being valuable medicinal herbs. About 1,**0 species of vascular plants have medicinal properties.