Saposhnikovia divaricata (Apiaceae) – important species of Oriental Traditional Medicine: current research status, cultivation experience and biotechnological potential (a review)

Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz. ex Ledeb.) Schischk. (Apiaceae) is a perennial monocarpic herbaceous plant, the only species of the Far Eastern, Daurian, and Mongolian genus Saposhnikovia Schischk. The roots of this plant are widely used in China, Korea, and Japan as an effective anti-inflammatory for arthralgia, rheumatism, generalized ache and headaches, strokes, fevers, colds and allergic rhinitis, as well as an analgesic, anti-Parkinsonian, and in multi-component herbal preparations. The high demand of S. divaricata products has raised the problem of sustainable use and conservation of the species due to the mass and unregulated harvesting of the roots of this plant. As an effective solution to this problem, ex situ and in situ methods of cultivation and clonal micropropagation can be developed. This would support the conservation of this species, and the recovery of its natural populations, and would also facilitate the production of valuable raw materials for pharmaceutical needs. Currently available data on this plant's successful cultivation and clonal propagation are fragmentary and not systematic. This review aims to summarize the latest data on S. divaricata in order to elucidate the main findings helpful for further progress in development of ex situ and in vitro cultivation of the species. A review of in situ, ex situ, and in vitro cultivation methods, as well as biotechnological aspects, including the engineering of metabolic pathways, is essential to ensure the conservation of the species and its sustainable use.