Ethnopharmacological properties of Asian medicinal plants during conflict-related blockades

Abstract According to the World Health Organization survey, an estimated 80% of the global population depends predominantly on herbal/traditional/natural remedies. Several traditional medicinal plants used to treat diverse ailments show ethnopharmacological activities. Ethnopharmacological potentials of medicinal plants include antihypertensive, antianxiolytic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antimalarial activities which will be discussed below. These plants and their different parts contain different important chemical components such as alkaloids, phenols, essential oils, phytosteroids, polyphenols, vitamin C, terpenoids, sterols, and tannins amongst many other phytochemicals which show specific beneficial action against different diseases. These plants are cultivated across the world and mostly grow in Asia. These plants with medicinal properties have profound importance in health interventions that may be demanded during conflicts when the conventional health system gets compromised or dysfunctional. It is therefore important for governments, health policymakers, and relevant stakeholders to start looking at phytochemistry as a lifesaving aspect of survival during or after conflicts. Moreover, special emphasis was laid on the importance of these medicinal plants during conflicts or soon after conflicts where there is no availability of relevant medical facilities most especially in the developing countries.