Top Native Medicinal Herbs in Antarctica

Antarctica has extremely limited native plant life due to its harsh climate. The continent is home to only two native flowering (vascular) plants, along with a variety of mosses, lichens, and algae. While traditional medicinal use by humans is not part of Antarctic history, recent scientific studies have identified potential medicinal properties in some of these plants and lower organisms:

Top Medicinal Plants and Organisms Native to Antarctica

Name Type Notable Properties/Uses

• Deschampsia antarctica Flowering grass Extracts protect human skin cells from oxidative stress and senescence, showing potential for anti-ageing and skin therapies.
• Colobanthus quitensis flowering plant adapted to extreme cold; symbiotic fungi within may enhance stress resistance, but direct medicinal uses are under research.
• Cladonia rangiferina Lichen contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds with neuroprotective potential.
• Polytrichum strictum, Bryum pseudotriquetrum Mosses produce phenolic compounds and polysaccharides with antioxidant and neuroprotective effects.

Additional Notes

• Mosses and Lichens: Over 100 moss and 250 lichen species are found in Antarctica. They produce secondary metabolites (e.g., polyphenols, polysaccharides) with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potential neuroprotective properties.

• Microbial Natural Products: Antarctic bacteria and fungi associated with these plants produce unique bioactive compounds, including antibiotics, antioxidants, and anticancer agents, which are of increasing interest for drug discovery.

• Traditional Use: There is no history of indigenous human use of these plants for medicine in Antarctica, but modern research is uncovering their biotechnological and therapeutic potential.

The most prominent medicinal plants native to Antarctica are Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis, with mosses and lichens (such as Cladonia rangiferina) also showing promising bioactive properties. Most research is recently focused on their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potential neuroprotective effects rather than traditional medicinal use.

Citations:

1. https://www.bas.ac.uk/about/antarctica/wildlife/plants/
2. https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/blog/the-plants-of-antarctica
3. https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/plants/
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1011134409000712
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colobanthus_quitensis
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5574316/
7. https://www.ijpab.com/form/2023%20Volume%2011,%20issue%203/IJPAB-2023-11-3-36-46.pdf
8. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2025/np/d4np00045e
9. https://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/polar-plants/plants-of-the-arctic-and-antarctic