Phylogeny explains why less therapeutically redundant plant species are not necessarily facing greater use pressure

Understanding which factors influence medicinal plant species selection and harvest or use pressure can provide valuable insights for sustainable management of natural resources and conservation efforts. The utilitarian redundancy model, a theoretical framework in ethnobotany, suggests that species that are therapeutically redundant or fulfill similar therapeutic functions within traditional ethnomedicine are less likely to be under greater use pressure. However, species’ evolutionary relatedness and the preference of certain species over others to treat a given illness can directly affect how use pressure is diffused across several groups of species. These factors may alter the strength of the therapeutic redundancy-use pressure relationship.

Medicinal plant species that fulfill the same therapeutic functions may experience greater use pressure despite their level of therapeutic redundancy because they are preferred—where most people select these species preferably over other specie...