Editorial: Insights into pain mechanisms - 2024/2025.

Medicinal plants have played a fundamental role in human healthcare since prehistoric times and continue to represent an important source of therapeutic agents worldwide. Evidence suggests that the use of plants for medicinal purposes predates written history, with indications that even Neanderthal populations utilized plant-based remedies []. Despite the remarkable advances achieved in modern medicine, traditional herbal remedies remain widely used across the globe. It is estimated that approximately 75–80% of the world’s population relies, at least partially, on herbal medicines for the prevention and treatment of diseases, and the demand for plant-derived products continues to increase in both developed and developing countries [,,]. Forests constitute one of the most important reservoirs of medicinal plant diversity. These ecosystems provide suitable environmental conditions for a wide range of medicinal species, including herbs, shrubs, trees, mosses, and lichens that have long been utilized in traditional medicine and are increasingly investigated for their pharmacological potential. The diversity and distribution of medicinal forest plants are influenced by numerous ecological factors, including climate, soil characteristics, altitude, and habitat structure [,,,,]. Forest ecosystems therefore play a critical role in conserving genetic resources that support traditional healthcare systems, provide valuable sources of bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical research, and contribute to the sustainable use of medicinal plant diversity. Although thousands of medicinal plant species have been identified and utilized worldwide, the majority are still collected from natural populations rather than cultivated under controlled conditions. Only a relatively small proportion of medicinal plants are grown commercially, while wild harvesting remains the primary source of raw material for traditional medicine and the herbal industry []. This heavy dependence on wild resources has contributed to increasing pressure on natural populations, particularly for species characterized by slow growth, limited distribution, or specialized habitat requirements. Currently, more than 15,000 medicinal plant species are considered threatened by extinction due to habitat loss, overexploitation, land-use change, and other anthropogenic pressures []. Forest medicinal plants are particularly vulnerable because many are found in highly specific ecological niches and possess biological characteristics that limit their capacity for rapid population recovery. In recent decades, deforestation, forest fragmentation, urban expansion, agricultural intensification, and climate change have accelerated the degradation of natural habitats, resulting in substantial declines in numerous medicinal plant populations worldwide. The loss of these species not only reduces biodiversity but may also lead to the disappearance of valuable bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic applications. The conservation of endangered medicinal plant species in forest ecosystems is influenced by the hydrological stability of their habitats. Climate change and land-use alterations pose severe threats to these species by shifting seasonal surface runoff and accelerating soil erosion [,], which can alter the specific microclimates required for their survival. Sustained protection of medicinal plant species requires proactive management and modern conservation frameworks to prevent habitat degradation due to soil erosion and torrential phenomena and ensure forest habitats are ecologically sustainable over time [,,,].