Harnessing biodiversity through natural products research in the Philippines

When I started my research project, I became part of the story of medicinal plants and herbal medicines in the Philippines. This is long and intertwined with the country’s rich history of trade and colonisation. Among its Asian neighbours, the Philippines is home to some of the most diverse flora and fauna, contributing to more than 5% of the world’s plant biodiversity. However, countries such as China, Vietnam and India place much more emphasis on the use of traditional medicines over western medicines – mostly due to the 300 years the Philippines spent colonised by western countries, who introduced their own forms of therapeutics.