Climate-Driven Variability in Medicinal and Functional Species: Assessing Impacts on Ethnopharmacological Consistency, Safety, and Therapeutic Reliability

Climate change is increasingly recognised as a key driver of biochemical variability in medicinal plants and functional food species. Alterations in temperature, precipitation patterns, soil composition, and environmental stressors can influence the production, stability, and consistency of biologically active compounds relied upon in traditional practice. These changes introduce new uncertainties into ethnopharmacological systems that have traditionally relied on empirical knowledge, regional biodiversity, and relatively stable ecological conditions.This Research Topic aims to assess how climate-driven variability and instability affect the phytochemical profiles of medicinal species and, critically, how these changes influence the reliability, safety, and reproducibility of traditional therapeutic practices. Rather than focusing on pharmacological efficacy or pharmaceutical development areas addressed by companion topics in this section, this collection emphasises the continuity and dependability of ethnopharmacological knowledge systems in the face of environmental change.Ethnopharmacological practices are inherently place-based, shaped by local ecosystems and intergenerational knowledge. As climate change disrupts these ecological foundations, there is a growing need to understand how regional shifts alter plant chemistry and, in turn, affect preparation methods, dosing traditions, and therapeutic expectations. This topic therefore prioritises contextual and region-specific analyses, particularly in biodiversity-rich and climate-vulnerable regions.We welcome contributions that assess (not validate) the impacts of environmental variability on medicinal plant use, including:- Climate-driven variability and instability in phytochemical profiles across geographic regions- Implications of environmental stressors on the consistency of traditional remedies- Effects of climate change on harvesting periods, plant part selection, and preparation methods- Regional case studies linking ecological shifts to changes in ethnomedicinal practices- Challenges for the transmission and adaptive continuity of traditional medicinal knowledge systems under changing environmental conditions.- Safety considerations arising from altered phytochemical expression or contaminant exposure- Strategies to maintain reliability and continuity of traditional practices under changing climatesAll submissions must adhere to the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology and the ConPhyMP statement (Front. Pharmacol., 13:953205). Manuscripts must include detailed descriptions of biological material, source documentation, and preparation procedures; submissions lacking these details will be desk-rejected. Full best-practice guidance is available at: https://ga-online.org/best-practice. Authors are encouraged to self-assess their manuscripts using the ConPhyMP tool before submission.This topic ultimately aims to assess how climate-driven variability and instability influence medicinal and functional plant species, and how these changes affect the reliability, safety, and continuity of ethnopharmacological practices. By foregrounding regional ecological contexts and traditional knowledge systems, it explores how shifting environmental conditions reshape plant use, preparation, and therapeutic expectations. Overall, this topic positions climate change as a critical factor shaping the dependability of plant-based healthcare within living knowledge traditions, contributing to more resilient strategies for knowledge transmission, adaptive practice, and the conservation of medicinal biodiversity in climate-vulnerable communities. Topic editors: Irina Ielciu, Ibrahim Chikowe Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81212/climate-driven-variability-in-medicinal-and-functional-species-assessing-impacts-on-ethnopharmacological-consistency-safety-and-therapeutic-reliability