The medicinal plant data and images posted in this website are the result of a long-term research collaboration between scientists of the Institute of Traditional Medicine (ITM) of the Lao PDR, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), and the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) with support from:

• the California Community Foundation
• the Anticancer Drug Discovery grant (P01 grant) from the United States National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) (grant number CA125066; Principal Investigator: A. Douglas Kinghorn) awarded to Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, Ohio, USA
• the International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) project, the National Cancer Institute
• the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• the Institute of International Education (IIE) Fulbright U.S. Student Program. 

Select Publications

• Ren Y., Kaweesa E.N., Tian L., Wu S., Sydara K., Xayvue M., Moore C.E., Soejarto D.D., Cheng X., Yu J., Burdette J.E., Kinghorn A.D. (2023). The Cytotoxic Cardiac Glycoside (-)-Cryptanoside A from the Stems of Cryptolepis dubia and its Molecular Targets. Journal of Natural Products. 86(6):1411-1419. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c00094. 

• Ren Y., Elkington B.G., Henkin J.M., Sydara K., Kinghorn A.D., Soejarto D.D. (2021). Bioactive small-molecule constituents of Lao plants. Journal of Medicinal Plant Research. 15(12): 540-559. doi: 10.5897/jmpr2021.7137. 

• Henkin, J. M., Sydara, K., Xayvue, M., Souliya, O., Kinghorn, A. D., Burdette, J. E., Chen, W. L., Elkington, B. G., Soejarto, D. D. (2017). Revisiting the linkage between ethnomedical use and development of new medicines: A novel plant collection strategy towards the discovery of anticancer agents. Journal of Medicinal Plant Research, 11(40), 621–634. https://doi.org/10.5897/jmpr2017.6485

• Zhang, H. J., Li, W. F., Fong, H. H., & Soejarto, D. D. (2016). Discovery of Bioactive Compounds by the UIC-ICBG Drug Discovery Program in the 18 Years Since 1998. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 21(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21111448

• Soejarto D.D., Elkington B.G., Sydara K., Gyllenhaal C., Riley M.C., Dietzman G.R., Xayveu M., Souliya O., Vanthanouvong M., Southavong B., Kadushin M.R., Che C.T. (2015) California Community Foundation Project Report: Medicinal Plants of Laos: Discoveries, Conservation, and Community Engagement.

• Elkington, B. G., Phiapalath, P., Sydara, K., Somsamouth, V., Goodsmith, N. I., & Soejarto, D. D. (2014). Assessment of the importance of medicinal plants among communities around Khiat Ngong of Southern Laos. Journal of Environmental Biology, (d), 1–18. Retrieved from http://jeb.co.in/journal_issues/201407_jul14/paper_01.pdf

• Elkington, B. G., Sydara, K., Newsome, A., Hwang, C. H., Lankin, D. C., Simmler, C., Soejarto, D. D. (2014). New finding of an anti-TB compound in the genus Marsypopetalum (Annonaceae) from a traditional herbal remedy of Laos. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 151(2), 903–911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.11.057

• Sydara, K., Xayvue, M., Souliya, O., Elkington, B. G., & Soejarto, D. D. (2014). Inventory of medicinal plants of the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic: A mini review. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research. Academic Journals. Vol. 8(43) pp. 1262-1274. 

• Elkington, B. G., Sydara, K., Hartmann, J. F., Southavong, B., & Soejarto, D. D. (2012). Folk Epidemiology Recorded in Palm Leaf Manuscripts of Laos. Journal of Lao Studies, 4.

• Gyllenhaal, C., Kadushin, M. R., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Xayveu, M., Xuan, L. T., Hiep, N. T., Hung, N. V., Loc, P. K., Dac, L. X., Bich, T. Q., Cuong, N. M., Ly, H. M. Zhang, H. J., Franzblau, S. G., Xie, H., Riley, M. C., Elkington, B. G., Nguyen, H. T., Waller, D. P., Ma, C. Y., Tamez, P., Pezzuto, J. M., Soejarto, D. D. (2012). Ethnobotanical approach versus random approach in the search for new bioactive compounds: Support of a hypothesis. Pharmaceutical Biology, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2011.634424

• Soejarto, D.D., Gyllenhaal, C., Kadushin, M. R., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Xayveu, M., Zhang, H. J., Franzblau, S. G., Tan, G. T., Pezzuto, J. M., Riley, M. C., Elkington, B. G., Waller, D. P. (2012). An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants of Laos toward the discovery of bioactive compounds as potential candidates for pharmaceutical development. Pharmaceutical Biology, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2011.619700

• Elkington, B. G., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Souliya, O., Vanthanouvong, M., Nettavong, K., Soejarto, D. D. (2009). Biological evaluation of plants of Laos used in the treatment of tuberculosis in Lao traditional medicine. Pharmaceutical Biology, 47(1), 26–33. 

• Libman, A., Zhang, H., Ma, C., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Soejarto, D. D. (2008). A first new antimalarial pregnane glycoside from Gongronema napalense. Asian Journal of Traditional Medicines, 3(6), 203–210.

• Ma, C. Y., Musoke, S. F., Tan, G. T., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Southavong, B., Soejarto, D. D., Fong, H. H., Zhang, H. J. (2008). Study of antimalarial activity of chemical constituents from Diospyros quaesita. Chemistry and Biodiversity, 5(11), 2442–2448. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.200890209

• Libman, A, Bouamanivong, S., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., & Soejarto, D. D. (2006). Medicinal plants: An important asset to health care in a region of Central Laos. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 106(3), 303–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2005.11.034

• Soejarto, D. D., Zhang, H. J., Fong, H. H., Tan, G. T., Ma, C. Y., Gyllenhaal, C., Thuy, T. V. (2006). “Studies on biodiversity of Vietnam and Laos” 1998-2005: examining the impact. Journal of Natural Products, 69(3), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1021/np058107t

• He, Z. D., Ma, C. Y., Zhang, H. J., Tan, G. T., Tamez, P., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Southavong, B., Soejarto, D. D., Pezzuto, J. M., Fong, H. S. (2005). Antimalarial constituents from Nauclea orientalis (L.) L. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2(10), 1378–1386. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.200590110

• Soejarto, D D, Gyllenhaal, C., Fong, H. H., Xuan, L. T., Hiep, N. T., Hung, N. V, Bich, T. Q., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Pezzuto, J. M. (2004). The UIC ICBG (University of Illinois at Chicago International Cooperative Biodiversity Group) Memorandum of Agreement: a model of benefit-sharing arrangement in natural products drug discovery and development. Journal of Natural Products, 67(2), 294–299. https://doi.org/10.1021/np0304363

• Soejarto, D. D., Gyllenhaal, C., Tarzian-Sorensen, J. A., Fong, H. H., Xuan, L. T., Binh, L. T., Hiep N. T., Hung N. V., Vu B. M., Bich T. Q., Southavong B., Sydara K., Pezzuto, J. M. (2004). Bioprospecting Arrangements: Cooperation between the North and the South. In R. T. Mahoney (Ed.), Handbook of Best Practices for Management of Intellectual Property in Health Research and Development (3rd ed., pp. 169–190). Oxford University Press.

• Zhang, H. J., Sydara, K., Tan, G. T., Ma, C., Southavong, B., Soejarto, D. D., Fong, H. H. (2004). Bioactive constituents from Asparagus cochinchinensis. Journal of Natural Products, 67(2), 194–200. https://doi.org/10.1021/np030370b

• Soejarto, D D, Gyllenhaal, C., Regalado, J. C., Pezzuto, J. M., Fong, H. H., Tan, G. T., Dietzman, G. (2002). An International Collaborative Program To Discover New Drugs from Tropical Biodiversity of Vietnam and Laos. Natural Product Sciences, 8(1), 1–15.

Select Books and Book Chapters

• Soejarto, D. D., Elkington, B. G., & Sydara, K. (Eds.). (2023). Medicinal Plants of Laos (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003216636

• Elkington, B. G., Soejarto, D. D., & Sydara, K. (2014). Ethnobotany of Tuberculosis in Laos. SpringerBriefs in Plant Science. https://www.springer.com/gb/book/9783319106557

• Elkington, B. G., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Souliya, O., Xayveu, M., Soejarto, D. D. (2010). The Search for Anti-Malarial Plants in Lao Palm-Leaf Manuscripts. In K. Adams & T. J. Hudak (Eds.), Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Lao Studies (pp. 277–288). Tempe, AZ: Southeast Asia Council, Center for Asian Research, Arizona State University.

• Libman, A. S., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Gyllenhaal, C., Riley, M. C., & Soejarto, D. D. (2009). The Influence of Cultural Tradition and Geographic Location on the Level of Medicinal Plant Knowledge Held by Various Cultural Groups in Laos. In C. J. Compton, J. F. Hartmann, & V. Sysamouth (Eds.), Contemporary Lao Studies: Research on Development, Language and Culture, and Traditional Medicine (p. 339). DeKalb, San Fransisco: Southeast Asia Publications.

• Soejarto, D. D., Xuan, L. T., Vu, B. M., Dac, L. X., Bich, T. Q., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Bouamanivong, S., Zhang, H. J., Fong, H. H., Tan, G. T., Pezzuto, J. M., Franzblau, S. G., Gyllenhaal, C., Riley, M. C., Hiep, N. T., Loc, P. K., Nguyen, V. H. (2002). Implementing IPR and benefit-sharing arrangements: Experiences in the University of Illinois at Chicago-Vietnam-Laos ICBG Program. In Intellectual Property Rights and Traditional Knowledge on Genetic Resources in Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Business (pp. 47–83). Tokyo: JBA/NITE.

• Soejarto, D. D., Gyllenhaal, C., Tarzian-Sorensen, J. A., Fong, H. H., Xuan, L. T., Binh, L. T., Hiep, N. T., Hung, N. V., Vu, B. M., Bich, T. Q., Southavong, B., Sydara, K., Pezzuto, J. M. (2003). Bioprospecting arrangements: Experiences between the North and the South. In Biotec, NSTDA, & M. of S. and Technology (Eds.), Proceedings: The 2nd International Conference on Medicinal Mushroom and the International Conference on Biodiversity and Bioactive Compounds (pp. 5–22). Pattaya, Thailand.

Field Guides

• Elkington, B. G., Sydara, K., Phiapalath, P., Soejarto, D. D. (2020). Field Guide: Selected Plants of Xe Pian National Protected Area. Retrieved from https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/1259

• Henkin, J. M., Elkington, B. G., Sydara, K., Souliya, O., Xayvue, M., Soejarto, D. D., & Soejarto, D. D. (2019). Field Guide: Selected plants of Xieng Khoang Province. Retrieved from https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/1078

• Soejarto, D. D., Elkington, B. G., Sydara, K., Souliya, O., & Xayveu, M. (2018). Field Guide: Selected Plants of Bokeo Province. Retrieved from https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/1040

• Soejarto, D. D., Elkington, B. G., Sydara, K., Souliya, O., & Xayveu, M. (2018). Plants of Savannakhet Province. Retrieved from https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/1014

• Soejarto, D. D., Elkington, B., Sydara, K., Souliya, O., & Xayveu, M. (2018). Selected Plants of Attapeu Province. Retrieved from https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/998

• Elkington, B. G., Sydara, K., & Soejarto, D. D. (2017). Plants of Kiat Ngong Wetlands, Champasak. Retrieved from https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/951

Collection Analyses

P01 Collections