Medicine from Plants

History

 Throughout human history, people have learned to use plants to help heal themselves.

 Many cultures have folk medicine traditions that include the use of plants and plant products .  Many drugs used today originated in the herbal traditions of various cultures.

Preventing disease

 Plants have an important role in the prevention of disease for humans. Without fruits and vegetables we would not get the proper vitamins ( vitamin A, C and E ) to prevent disease

Herbal Medicine

 Today we are using traditional herbal medicines more and more. Take a look at

Boots

and you will find a number of herbal medicines on the shelves: - Saint Johns Wort- treats depression Bill Berry- improves blood flow - Ginger root- immune system Ginseng- energy enhancement Ginseng- Found in S. E. Asia

Illegal drugs

   The early Chinese and Greek pharmacies included opium to prevent pain.

Hindus used the cannabis (marijuana) plants as anesthetics .

Some of these plants are highly addictive and therefore are illegal for non-medical purposes Cannabis

Rainforests and Drugs

   The high species diversity makes rain forests highly prized for new medicinal drugs.

Drugs that originated in the rain forest range from early forms of the birth control pill to highly specialized medicines derived from the Madagascar rosy periwinkle which is used to treat cancer. Discovered drugs represent a fraction of the potential medicines the rain forests may hold

Save our future. Save the Rain Forest!!!

Some examples

(don’t need to copy this down)

Foxglove Plant The flowers of the foxglove contain chemicals that affect heartbeat and pulse

Ipaces

This plant is used to make patients vomit if they have ingested something poisonous

Homework

  Find a traditional Thai drug that is derived from plants or plant products.

Think of the traditional hill tribes and how they use the surrounding plants.

Garlic (Kra Thiam)

BY JAY M.6 #6(sci)



CHaRacterisTIcs

An indispensable ingredient in Thai cuisine.

 Annual herbaceous plant  Has underground bulbs comprising several cloves . It is available in different varieties, some with very white papery skin, some with pink, some with pink and white skin and some creamy in color .

 

Usefulness

Dried mature bulbs are used as a flavoring and condiment in Thai cuisine tossing with noodles and rice sulfur compounds . . . Garlic oil can be made by chop a handful of garlic, and fry it in plenty of hot oil until golden . They can be stored in a jar for garnishing soup and for The bulbs contain a 0.1-0.36% garlic oil and organic Therapeutic uses - antimicrobial, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, ant flatulence and cholesterol lowering agents .

Pictures of Garlic

Asiatic Pennywort : Thai name -Bai Bua Bok

Asiatic Pennywort :

It is a small, annual, slender, creeping herb . It has long stalked, green reniform leaves with rounded apices that have smooth texture with palmately netted veins . The stems are creeping in nature, green to reddish green in color, interconnecting one plant to another . The flowers are pinkish to red in color, born in small, rounded bunches near the surface of the soil .

• Each flower is partly enclosed in 2 green bracts . The hermaphrodite flowers are minute in size ( less than 3 mm ) , with 5-6 corolla lobes per flower . Each flower bears 5 stamens and 2 styles . Pennywort's rootstock consists of rhizomes, growing vertically down . They are creamish in color and covered with root hairs . Fruits are small and flattened .

Medicinal Uses • It has been used for wound healing, better circulation, memory enhancement, cancer, vitality, general tonic, respiratory ailments, detoxifying the body, treatment of skin disorders (such as psoriasis and eczema), revitalizing connective tissue, burns and scars treatment, clearing up skin infections, slimming and edema, arthritis, rheumatism, treatment of liver and kidneys, periodontal disease, strengthening of veins (varicose veins), blood purifier, high blood pressure, sedative, anti-stress, anti-anxiety, an aphrodisiac, immune booster, anabolic and adaptogen etc.

Product of Asiatic Pennywort

Andrographis paniculata (Burm.F.) Nees

(

ฟ้าทะลายโจร

)

By : N@t

Introduction…

• Scientific Name

Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees

: • Family Name : ACANTHACEAE • Other Common Name King of Bitters. : Andrographis, Chuan Xin Lian, Kan Jang (Chinese), Kalmegh (Bengali, Hindi),

What’s more >.<

• Habitat gardens for medicinal uses.It prefers rich loamy soil. It flowers frequently and can be spreaded from stem-cuttings or seeds.

: Sometimes grown in • Physical Description : A small tender herb to 70cm tall with many branches. Stems squarish and generally light green. Leaves elliptic with acuminate tips. Pods to 1.7cm long, 2 celled, containing 12 seeds.

Medicinal Use

• A decoction of the leaves is often taken orally to cure diabetes and to reduce high blood pressure. A leaf poultice is applied topically to relieve skin irritation and insect bites.

• treatment of upper respiratory infections such as the common cold

Toxicity

• andrographis has not been associated with any major side effects. • No problems were found in patients treated with 1200 mg/day of andrographis.

• Taking large oral doses of andrographis may cause gastric discomfort , vomiting, and loss of appetite .

What is that??

Holy Basil, Sacred Basil

Scientific name

:

Ocimum tenuiflorum

Linn.,

Ocimum sanctum

Linn.

Family name

:Labiatae

Properties • Its traditional use has been in the treatment of colds and flues where its purifying actions are believed to cleanse the respiratory tract of toxins . • It is also helpful in the relief of digestive gas and bloating . • Recent scientific reports have confirmed the healing properties of holy basil in medical conditions ranging from diabetes to cancer .