APINMAP--An Asian Medicinal Plants Database

Dr. Susan McCarthy, Coordinator
Plant Genome Data and Information Center
National Agricultural Library, USDA
Beltsville, MD

Today's human population explosion is threatening not only native plants, animals, and their habitats, but also a loss in indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. This loss is the result of demographic changes where populations are moving from rural to urban areas. These changes have left many populations with little or no medical coverage.

In response to this need for medicinal plant information, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the Asian Pacific Information Network on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (APINMAP) in APINMAP is a decentralized information-gathering network of 13 member countries in Asia and the Pacific region. The primary objective of the voluntary cooperative program is to promote the exchange of information on medicinal and aromatic plants. Members feed their data into the Network Center (The Agricultural Information Bank for Asia (AIBA), Philippines). AIBA then compiles the incoming information and re-distributes the data to the member countries.

The Network has the following objectives:

• Provide access to information from regional and international sources, including scientific research results.
• Develop and improve specialized information services for member states.
• Assist in the development of information product and services for the targeted end-user communities.
• Establish linkages to regional and international networks or services in the fields of medicinal or aromatic plants and natural product chemistry.

APINMAP is developing a factual database, which will contain actual research data. It is currently structured by medicinal plant. Three data entry forms can be completed for each medicinal plant. The Plant Record Type form provides a complete physical and taxonomic description of the plant. The Indication/Preparation/ Administration Record form records information on the ailment treated, the plant part used, method of preparation, and how the medicine is given. The Marketing Record Type form relays information on the commercial aspects of the plant such as tariff, patent, and availability information.

Data is stored and maintained using micro CDS/ISIS software. A separate retrieval software program was written to provide easy data access. The factual database can be queried in two ways:

1. Menu approach: For example, an ailment can be input; plant names that treat the ailment are then retrieved.
2. Query-By-Example: Developed by IBM for complex queries. In addition to the medicinal plant specific information, APINMAP also has a database called the Integrated Database. The Integrated Database contains bibliographic and directory type information (i.e. research projects, research institutions, information centers, and researchers), all relevant to medicinal and aromatic plants. Boolean operators are used for searching this database.

APINMAP Contacts:

APINMAP Secretariat
Prof. Kamchorn Manunapichu
Secretary-General APINMAP
c/o Ministry of University Affairs
328 Sri Ayutthya Road
Bangkok 10400
Thailand
Tel: 258-9853/245-1157
Telex: 72145 NICCO TH; 84248 TIBCO TH
FAX: 662-2871443

APINMAP Network Center
c/o Ms. Josephine C. Sison, Project Officer or Ms. Alice H. Rillo, Coordinator
Agricultural Information Bank for Asia
Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture
College, Laguna 4031
Philippines
Tel: 2317/3459
Telex: 40904 SEARCA PM
FAX: 632-817-05-98

APINMAP Member Countries
Australia
People's Republic of China
India
Indonesia
The Republic of Korea
Malaysia
Nepal
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Socialist Republic of Vietnam