Podophyllum is an endangered but high-value medicinal plant from temperate and cold climatic zones of the globe. It is a source of podophyllotoxin, a natural lignan with cytotoxic, anti-tumour properties. It is the prescursor for the semi-synthesis of the widely used anti-cancer drugs etoposide, teniposide and etopophos. It is also a precursor to a new drug that is being tested for rheumatoid arthritis in Europe. Podophyllum resin prepared from the rhizomes has long been used as a purgative, but the discovery of the cytotoxic properties of podophyllotoxin and related compounds has now made Podophyllum a commercially important plant. Preparations of podophyllum resin (the Indian resin is preferred) are effective treatments for warts, and pure podophyllotoxin is available as a paint for soft venereal warts. P. hexandrum has an increasing demand in the national and international markets because the percentage of podophyllotoxin is about 20 times more than American Podophyllum.