Researchers then spend months and years isolating their active ingredients and reproducing them in a lab.Īt some point in our lifetimes, most of us have taken pain management drugs derived from specialist plants. We're finding new candidate plants all the time. Plants are an abundant source of potential new medicines and often serve as chemical templates for the design of novel drugs to treat humanity's most serious ailments. In the western world, new medicines are usually designed by chemists and biologists using computer models - but they still turn to the natural world for inspiration. Usually, any drug derived from plants prescribed by a medical professional has gone through years of rigorous testing for efficacy and safety before being approved. For instance, it advocates the use of aloe vera, which is still applied to burns and ulcers, and honey, which is valued for its natural antibacterial properties. While some of its recommendations are questionable by modern standards, others still hold true today. The Ebers Papyrus, as it is known, recommends heated herbs for asthma, mint and sandalwood to aid healthy digestion, and juniper for chest pains. The use of traditional Chinese medicine dates back thousands of years, while 5,000-year-old clay slabs from Nagpur in central India are early written evidence of people using plants such as poppies and mandrakes as drugs.Īn ancient Egyptian scroll that has been dated to about 1,500BC recorded the medicines of the day. Ancient civilisations created concoctions of seeds, herbs, leaves, fruit and bark to treat a wide variety of illnesses. Humans have been using plants to heal since before we developed a written language. Thanks to decades of research, we're able to harness the lifesaving powers of superhero plants whose chemical compounds form the basis of powerful drugs that can help combat cancer, Parkinson's disease and malaria. Today, around 11% of the drugs considered 'basic' and 'essential' by the World Health Organisation originated in flowering plants - and there are many more from those without flowers. Medicinal herbs, leaves and roots are used to prevent and treat common ailments from colds and anxiety to nausea and skin ailments. Chamomile can make us feel soothed and relaxed, while ginger can boost digestion and echinacea is thought to support the immune system. Herbal remedies and traditional medicines are used by millions of people around the world. Today, some of the biggest killers in the western world, including cancer and heart disease, can be cured using medicines derived from plants. It's been scientifically proven that spending time outside is good for our physical and mental wellbeing, but nature can also literally save our lives. People and the natural world are inextricably interlinked.
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