TRADE IN PRUNUS AFRICANA.
The tree known as Pygeum or Prunus Africana is the only African variety of more than 200 species of Prunus scattered around the World and the one used by pharmaceutical companies to manufacture a drug called TADENAN used in treating prostate related ailments among elderly men .
Prunus was established to have the highest concentration of active ingredients in treating prostate cancer compared to other tree species. The highest population concentrations are in Cameroon,Congo,Uganda,Kenya,Tanzania,Equatorial Guinea among other African countries.
Since it’s medicinal properties became widely known, it was appended to list of the convention on I(CITES),which only allows licensed trade of products from the tree in order to protect it from extinction. Uganda has been an active member of the CITES ,since joining in 1991 and has greatly benefited from the many decisions and seemingly hard policy positions that helped save many lives, both human and in particular Wild Endangered species of Flora(of which Prunus Africana is one) and fauna.
