Revista internacional de ciencias aplicadas - Investigación y revisión Acceso abierto

Abstracto

Impact of Climate Change on Pistacia khinjuk as a Medicinal Plant in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Nehal S. Al-Alfy, Abdel Raouf M. Moustafa, Modhi O Alotaibi and Samira R Mansour

The following review on the effect of climate change documented on the St. Catherine, southern Sinai in Egypt and on wadi Dissah South west of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia where Pistacia khinjuk is mostly found. Pistacia khinjuk is a tree or shrub that mainly occupies high altitudes. It is known to have both economic and medicinal importance. It was found that the leaves of Pistacia khinjuk grown in Egypt are rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons as well as monoterpene alcohols. It has antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and wound healing properties, in addition to its hepatoprotective effect. Pistacia khinjuk is widely spread across temperate and tropical Asia. It prefers high altitudes and can tolerate harsh conditions of drought.

Pistacia khinjuk is native to Egypt in North Africa, temperate Asia and India. It is listed in Egypt as an endangered species due to facing lots of natural and human induced threats such as aridity and over-collection. In Egypt P. khinjuk is endemic to Serbal mountain (2070m.a.s. l), characterized by low temperature and relatively high precipitation due to the high elevation, while in KSA, Wadi Dissah has a very similar climate, mountain peaks there at 2400 m, above sea level and Jebel al Lawz (800-1,300m)where P. khinjuk is found exclusively. In this review, we suggest a tight conservation plan to this unique medicinal plant in Egypt.