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Medicinal plants importance
History of herbal medicine easy
Medicinal plants importance
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Introduction: Herbal drugs are the medicine which contains medicinal plant parts or there substance likes extracts. As per the initial record the herbal drugs being used in India, China, Egypt, Greek, Roman from last 5000 years. The oldest and biggest Indian texts Rigveda, Atharvaveda, Charak Samhita and Sushruta Samhita include the uses of many herbal drugs (Khamboj et al ). In 3000 B.C. the Egyptian text Papyrus Ebers given the name after the German Egyptologist Georg Ebers contains 800 recipes and description of 700 medicinal plants like aloe, colocynth, Indian hemp, garlic, opium poppy, juniper, cumin, ricinus seeds and Arabic gum (Aksel Bernhoft et al 2008). So from last many thousands years the medicinal plant being used by humans for different therapeutic purpose and are changed to modern medicine like many modern drugs originated from plant source. Many of the life saving drug are isolated/extract from medicinal plant examples include Vincristine (Vinca), digoxin (Digitalis), quinine (cinchona bark), Atropine (Datura), Artimicine (Artimisia annua), morphine (from the opium poppy) (Vickers and Zollman, 1999). As per WHO the uses of herbal drug was increased day by day to two- three time more as compared to conventional drug in different form like nutraceuticals, ayurvedic drugs, traditional chinse medicine, Functional food etc (Evans, 1994). In the United States alone, 2011 sales of all herbal products were estimated to be $5.3 billion (Blu¬menthal et al. 2012). In reality, the herbal product industry is just another drug industry, one selling products that are poorly regulated and likely don’t work for their claimed indications (Steven Novella et al 2103). Various forest dwellers and metropolitan people also acquire ... ... middle of paper ... ...chemical constituents of the plants. In genetic markers identifications of medicinal plant the physical form does not restrict detection because the genetic markers can be isolated from fresh or dried organic tissue []. DNA-based techniques have been especially useful for authentication of those medicinal plant species, which are frequently substituted or adulterated with other species that are morphological and/or phytochemically indistinguishable [7-10]. A number of DNA-fingerprinting methods have been developed over past few years which include. RFLP (Restriction fragment length polymorphism) Micro satellite polymorphism SFP ( Single feature polymorphism) VNTR (Variable number tandem repeat AFLP (Amplified fragment length polymorphism) RAPD ( Random amplification of polymorphic DNA) SNP (Single nucleotide polymorphism) STR (Short tandem repeat)
The multiple use of plants used for nourishment, medicinal purposes and practical use were ignored by Lewis and Clark during their monumental trek across the United States. Rather than consider the Native Indian’s use of native plants they persisted on using Dr. Rush’s Thunderbolt pills that probably caused more problems than the condition that inflicted them. Many modern day cultures continue to ignore native remedies and have come to depend on synthetic pharmaceutical drug production. In recent years the wealth of indigenous knowledge has been acknowledged revealing the use of native plants and the importance it had in the survival of indigenous people.. Pharmaceutical companies have utilized the immense knowledge of the indigenous people and their use of natural plants. The application of natural plant species have revealed the main reasons mankind has survived into present day. Following is a few of the plants, their application and their specific purposes.
According to Grinspoon (2005) marijuana, may have been a crop farmed as many as 10,000 years ago. The first evidence discovered that attests to the use of medicinal cannabis dates back to the Chinese Emperor, Chen Nung, who lived five-thousand years ago when this plant was recommended for malaria, constipation, and rheumatic pains, as well as, the inability to concentrate and pains in relation to the female body (Grinspoon, 2005; Guterman 2000). Even Queen Victoria had a physician recommend that she use marijuana as medicine for ailments such as “insomnia, migraines, menstrual cramps, and muscle spasms” (Guterman, 2000, p. A21). Evidence of the power of marijuana as a medicine can be found in almost any culture on Earth. For example, some tribes in Africa use marijuana to treat snake bites and to reduced the intense pain of child-birth and in India, cannabis is used to “quicken the mind, lower fevers, induce sleep, cure dysentery, stimulate appetite, improve digestion, relieve headaches, and cure venereal disease” (Grinspoon, 2005, p. 1). Marijuana has been proven as a powerful medicine by people of many ethnic backgrounds and countries over the entire world, time and time again.
The major use for herbal medicines is for the promotion of health and for therapy for chronic conditions, instead of being used for life-threatening conditions; except in the event of say advanced cancer or new infectious diseases when conventional medicine practices no longer are working an individual may use traditional remedies. While traditional medicines are often mistaken that because they are natural that they are safe, non-toxic, which is not always the case. In cases when an individual is taking herbs with prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or other herbs that may cause some adverse side affects. As a flourishing commercial enterprise, it doesn’t matter why an individual uses traditional medicines, it provides important health care services for individuals that have access physically or finantually to allopathic
Antibiotics are powerful substances which are capable of inhibiting bacterial growth. Antibiotics can be consumed from any part of the body. Essentially there are two different types of antibiotics which perform different operations to the body. (Medical News, 1) The first discovered type is bactericidal, which not only inhibits but initially eliminates the bacterial or microbial organisms, this is done through exterminating the bacterium cell wall which furthermore erupts and causes the bacteria to be killed. The second type is bacteriostatic, as the name states. It aids to inhibit and limit bacterial growth. The antibiotic stops bacterial growth through stopping the process of protein synthesis, or bacterial reproduction. It is consumed to stop the growth of a microorganism permanently or temporarily. (Scientific American, 3) Patients consume antibiotics through the mouth. Antibiotics can also be directly injected into the body. Others can be applied on the infected area of the body, and physically cured or eliminated. (Medical News, 1)
Easthope, G., 2005. Alternative Medicines. In: Germov, ed. An Introduction to Health Sociology. Melbourne :Oxford University Press, pp. 332-348.
“Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy”. (Wiki) . Opium is said to have been in existence since ancient times, and is still produced using ancient methods. .Before opium became a popular substance to abuse it was mostly used for medicinal purposes or uses. Countries such as “Sumerian, Egypt, and India” ( opiates.net). contributed to the national widespread of opium. They found it to be the most valuable form of pain relief. The wide spread availability of opium helped surgeons all over perform longer surgery ,which lead to more efficient and safer medical operations. Alcohol and ethyl were also common pain relievers in ancient times, but many physicians preferred opium because it was less threatening to the human’s sensory organs and didn’t impair their intellectual/motor judgment as much. This was only when opium was used at correct lower dosages. Physicians believed opium’s healing medical capabilities consisted of “resists to poison and venomous bites, cures chronic headache, v...
The knowledge Native peoples have gained over generations of trial and error about what different species of plants do medically far exceeds what modern drug companies know about them. For instance, Natives in Latin America knew the uses of what is now known to be Vitamin C, and they knew that it could be found in the barks of certain trees, leafy plants, and even mosses that are totally different from each other in appearance. Currently, there is a great deal of interest among natural scientists and drug researchers in Native American traditions of medicine, especially regarding their knowledge and use of drugs. Since anthropologists began documenting Native people’s use of plants for healing, they have been responsible for contributing
Although America and the rest of the world have progressed in medical science and technology, it seems that many medical conditions are becoming more prevalent in the general population. According to the CDC, mental illnesses have progressed to an all-time high, and over 25% of the American population is affected on an annual basis. Some of these instances are easily treatable and a part of life such as dealing with grief from the loss of a loved one; some may be much more deeply rooted and have a much higher chance of occurring with a family history of mental illness. A hidden secret that has only recently been explored in great depths is the treatment of targeted medical conditions with the use of illicit substances, namely hallucinogens. Despite the biggest barriers to continuing research being the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) schedule of psychedelic drugs, lack of funding, common misconceptions about the drugs, and a history of abuse and irresponsible users, these drugs actually do hold some merit in their potential use as medication. Psychedelic drugs should be made available to the medical field for testing and prescribing for conditions they are able to treat. This can be done either through rescheduling of the drugs on the DEA controlled substances list, or with federal deregulation and decriminalization for medical use. These drugs are more effective than current treatment, they are safer than current treatments, and they open up the possibility of discovering additional treatment alternatives.
Herbal medicine have played an every important place in the health of living beings for thousands of years. Indeed, according to different archaeological evidences, humans have been using medicinal plants since approximately 60,000 years and even non-human primates ingested used to treat illness by ingesting medicinal plants. Furthermore, centuries later, herbalism was used all around the world to cure diseases. For example, near 4,000 BC In India, Ayurveda medicine used many herbs like turmeric, moreover, in 2,000 BC, Chinese started prescribing over 365 herbal medicines including ephedra, hemp and chaulmoogra, and around 1500 BC, Ancient Egyptians used over 850 medical plants such as garlic, juniper, cannabis, castor bean, aloe, and mandrakeand. Even though herbalism has been known to be effective for thousands of years ago, modern society has a lot of prejudices concerning medical plants, like cannabis. Those prejudices make the
medicine, "Herbal," in the 2nd century B.C., and was used in China as an anesthetic 5,000 years ago. The ancient Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and East Indians used the drug to control muscle spasms, reduce pain, and to treat indigestion. It was commonly used in folk medicines in Africa and Asia. As early as 1611, marijuana was cultivated for its fiber in Jamestown, Virginia. In 19th century America, marijuana was used by the medical profession for treating spastic conditions, headaches, labor pains, insomnia, and menstrual cramps. It is still used as a medicine in the Middle East and in Asia (9).
Herbs played a big role in ancient Egyptian medicine. Some of these herbs include opium, can...
Marijuana is usually extracted from the flowers of the female plant (Grinspoon & Bakalar, 1993). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is well-defined as the “dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds. This plant material can also be concentrated in a resin called hashish” (NIDA, 2014). Numerous studies have attempted to explain the use of cannabis throughout history. For example, Doweiko (2009) mentioned that the Chinese physicians have used the cannabis to treat some diseases such as malaria, constipation, child birth, and as an anesthetic for surgery.
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
In conclusion, herbal medicines have been around for a long time. Plenty of our drugs have ingredients from herbs and are still being used today. I would not recommend the use of herbal medicines due to complications it can have on the body unless the physician suggested the product. The more I read up on these herbal medicines the more precautions I came across. I believe these herbal medicines should be reviewed as a drug under the FDA to avoid any health complications for these
Herbal products are medicinal agents obtained from the plants. It’s all started 100 years ago by ancient people. Since synthetic medicine are not yet invented by that time, ancient people had invented medicine out of the plants. Through generations the original herbal medicine had been modified due to the new knowledge discovered and technologies invented.