ROLE OF MOLECULAR MARKERS IN AUTHENTICATION GENETIC DIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION OF ENDANGERED MEDICINAL PLANTS

The escalating global demand for herbal therapeutics, combined with relentless habitat fragmentation and overexploitation, has pushed a substantial proportion of medicinal flora toward extinction. Conventional morphological identification and broad-spectrum conservation strategies often prove inadequate for these taxa, particularly when processed plant parts enter international supply chains or when cryptic species inhabit remote ecosystems. Molecular markers provide a robust, reproducible, and increasingly cost-effective alternative for authenticating species identity, quantifying intraspecific genetic diversity, and implementing precision conservation. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the deployment of DNA barcoding, microsatellites, inter-simple sequence repeats, and next-generation sequencing-derived single nucleotide polymorphisms in endangered medicinal plant systems. We examine how the core barcode loci rbcL and matK, augmented by the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2), resolve taxonomic uncertainty and expose commercial adulteration. Population-level analyses using codominant SSRs and genome-wide SNPs reveal patterns of gene flow, genetic bottlenecks, and demographic decline that are invisible to census-based assessments. Furthermore, we present an integrated framework demonstrating how molecular data inform in situ reserve design, ex situ germplasm banking, and sustainable harvest protocols. Drawing on literature published primarily between 2020 and 2025, we highlight persistent gaps in reference library coverage, bioinformatics accessibility, and policy integration. We conclude that the future of medicinal plant conservation depends on embedding molecular authentication and genomic monitoring into national pharmacopoeias, international trade regulations, and community-based management plans.