title: Quantifying the domestic market in herbal medicine in Benin, West Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Herbal medicine markets are essential in understanding the importance of medicinal plants amongst a country's inhabitants. They are also instrumental in identifying plant species with resource management priorities. To document the diversity of the medicinal plant market in Benin (West Africa), to quantify the weight of traded species in order to evaluate their economic value, and to make a first assessment of their vulnerability for commercial extraction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We quantitatively surveyed 22 market stalls of 16 markets in the country's eight largest urban areas. We collected all plant (parts) following standard botanical methods and recorded uses, prices and local names, and weighed and counted the numbers of sales units.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recorded 307 medicinal products corresponding to ca. 283 species. Thirty-five species were encountered in at least 25% of the surveyed stalls, from which ten are locally endangered or red-listed by the IUCN. Examples of vulnerable species included Caesalpinia bonduc, which has been declared extinct in the wild but is largely cultivated in home gardens, and was exploited for its seeds, roots, and leaves, and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides which was harvested for its bark, roots, and leaves. Other top-selling fruits and seeds included red-listed species: Monodora myristica, Xylopia aethiopica, and Schrebera arborea. Top-selling woody plant parts included the roots of Sarcocephalus latifolius, Mondia whitei, and the barks of Khaya senegalensis and Pteleopsis suberosa. All but Sarcocephalus latifolius and Pteleopsis subersosa were species with some threat status. Plants sold at the market were mainly used for ritual purposes, women's health, and to treat malaria and its symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the domestic medicinal plant market in Benin is of substantial economic importance. A volume of approximately 655 metric tons worth 2.7 million USD is offered for sale annually. Traditional spiritual beliefs seem to be a major driving force behind the trade in herbal medicine.
authors.affiliation: Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; Wageningen University (Biosystematics Group), P.O. Box 647, 6700 AP Wageningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: diana.quiroz@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quiroz
authors.affiliation: Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Towns
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Applied Ecology, University of Abomey-Calavi, B.P. 526, Cotonou, Benin.
authors.forename: Sènan Ingrid
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Legba
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University (Biosystematics Group), P.O. Box 647, 6700 AP Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jorik
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swier
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University (Biosystematics Group), P.O. Box 647, 6700 AP Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Solène
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brière
authors.affiliation: National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Domain van Bouchout, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860 Meise, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sosef
authors.affiliation: Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Tinde
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: van Andel
mesh_terms: D001541:Benin; D003132:Commerce; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional / Q000191:economics*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
keywords: Herbal market; Plant conservation; Trade; Traditional medicine; Vodoun