Medicinal Uses of Plants

Paper Summary:

This paper supplies significant research which proves that medicinal plants, commonly referred to as medicinal herbs, have been successfully used by man for more than 60 thousand years. The uses of medicinal plants have ranged through the entire spectrum of the physical and psychological maladies that can afflict the human race. The writer of this paper examines the various vaccines made from medicinal plant preparations which are designed for oral consumption as well as the numerous health benefits attained by properly ingesting these herbs. This paper also analyzes the business aspect of the medicine plant trade. Through relevant research, this paper estimates that world sales of medicines derived from plants, discovered and collected by indigenous tribes and cultures in 1990, amounted to some $43 billion.

Table of Contents:
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Etiology, Applications and Common Medicinal Plants Today
Current and Future Trends
Conclusion
Works Cited

From the Paper:

"According to Zerner, the majority of the knowledge about medicinal plants today has been accumulated based on empirical observations over long periods of time. Likewise, Crellin and Philpott note that observations of the use of different plants by sick animals has always been a valuable source of information for early practitioners, and many continue to believe this is a valuable source of reliable information concerning the efficacy of medicinal plants today. Even the nonmedicinal uses of these various plant materials has helped the body of knowledge through increased familiarity to the point where, "Nowadays, many herbalists believe that they have an almost intuitive sense of whether or not a plant is medical. Ten of the most popular medicinal plants today are bilberry, cranberry, echinacea, feverfew, Ginkgo biloba, goldenseal, kava kava, milk thistle, saw palmetto, and St. John's wort."

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