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    Lec# 20 Plants and Medicine: I. Medicinal Plants II. Poisonous Plants III. Psychoactive Plants

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    Anton Naing
    1. Approximately 25% of prescription drugs come from plant extracts, though only 15% of plant species have been screened for medicinal purposes. Most medicinal plants come from tropical rainforests, where 50% of plant species are found. 2. A National Cancer Institute plant collection program identified 170 extracts from 10,000 plants that were active against HIV or cancer. 44 of these were entirely new species with medicinal properties. 3. The rapid destruction of tropical rainforests threatens valuable potential drug discoveries, as these forests contain at least 10,000 unidentified plant species.

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    Lec# 20 Plants and Medicine: I. Medicinal Plants II. Poisonous Plants III. Psychoactive Plants

    Uploaded by

    Anton Naing
    36 views28 pages
    1. Approximately 25% of prescription drugs come from plant extracts, though only 15% of plant species have been screened for medicinal purposes. Most medicinal plants come from tropical rainforests, where 50% of plant species are found. 2. A National Cancer Institute plant collection program identified 170 extracts from 10,000 plants that were active against HIV or cancer. 44 of these were entirely new species with medicinal properties. 3. The rapid destruction of tropical rainforests threatens valuable potential drug discoveries, as these forests contain at least 10,000 unidentified plant species.

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    Medicinal Plants

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    Medicinal Plants

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    1. Approximately 25% of prescription drugs come from plant extracts, though only 15% of plant species have been screened for medicinal purposes. Most medicinal plants come from tropical rainforests, where 50% of plant species are found. 2. A National Cancer Institute plant collection program identified 170 extracts from 10,000 plants that were active against HIV or cancer. 44 of these were entirely new species with medicinal properties. 3. The rapid destruction of tropical rainforests threatens valuable potential drug discoveries, as these forests contain at least 10,000 unidentified plant species.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    36 views28 pages

    Lec# 20 Plants and Medicine: I. Medicinal Plants II. Poisonous Plants III. Psychoactive Plants

    Uploaded by

    Anton Naing
    1. Approximately 25% of prescription drugs come from plant extracts, though only 15% of plant species have been screened for medicinal purposes. Most medicinal plants come from tropical rainforests, where 50% of plant species are found. 2. A National Cancer Institute plant collection program identified 170 extracts from 10,000 plants that were active against HIV or cancer. 44 of these were entirely new species with medicinal properties. 3. The rapid destruction of tropical rainforests threatens valuable potential drug discoveries, as these forests contain at least 10,000 unidentified plant species.

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    Lec# 20 Plants and Medicine

    I. Medicinal Plants
    II. Poisonous Plants
    III. Psychoactive Plants

    Disclaimer!

    Critical evaluation is extremely important


    here. I am not making any endorsements
    nor should you use this information to treat
    yourself without the consultation of a
    doctor!

    Someone once said there are only


    two types of fools: one professes
    this is old and therefore good
    and the other says This is new
    and therefore better

    Point: Use your scientific evaluations in the


    matter, it is a matter of life or death!

    I. Medicinal Plants

    1. Approximately 25% of todays


    prescription drugs come from plant extracts
    (see Table 1).
    2. Only about 15% of the known plant
    species have been screened for medicinal
    purposes.
    3. Most medicinal plants come from the
    Tropics.

    Medicinal Plants in the Tropics

    Most medicinal plants have been identified by


    the indigenous people by trial and error.

    50% of the 250,000 plant species are from the


    Tropics.

    At least 10,000 species in the Tropics have not


    yet been identified.

    NCI - Plant Collection Program


    (1986-1991)

    10,000 plant samples collected for screening


    against HIV and cancer
    2500 species and 200 families
    Of the 3000 extracts analyzed, 170 contained
    agents active against HIV
    776 fully identified species, 106 had active
    agents. 62 were previously known as
    medicinal plants. 44 were entirely new.

    1. Medicinal Plants (continued)

    4. The most significant medicinal plants


    used for prescription drugs contain steroids
    or alkaloids (see Table 1).

    1. Medicinal Plants (continued)

    5.The rapid destruction of our tropical


    rainforests threatens the development of
    potentially useful drugs

    Forest Loss Is Severe in the


    Tropics
    50
    40
    30
    20
    10
    0
    Asia

    Africa

    Latin America

    World

    1. Medicinal Plants (continued)

    6. There are a host of non-prescription plant


    remedies which have medicinal uses. These
    are often referred to as herbal medicines.

    Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

    Complex of
    phytomedicinals from
    the leaves
    Improves blood flow
    Improves memory in
    older people
    Effective free-radical
    scavenger
    Side effects are
    restlessness, diarrhea,
    nausea and vomiting

    Echinacea (Echinacea species)

    Extracts from shoot,


    root and rhizome
    Acts as
    immunostimulant
    Speeds up cycle of
    cold virus and flus
    NOT preventative.

    Ginseng (Panax ginseng, P.


    quinquefolium, Elutherococcus
    Mixture of compounds
    senticocus)
    from root

    Traditional Chinese
    medicine for 5000 years
    Increases stress
    tolerance
    Speeds up metabolism
    Anti-carcinogenic
    No known side-effects

    Chamomile (Matricaria recutita


    and Chamaemelum nobile)

    Mixture of terpenoids,
    coumarins, and
    flavonoids from dried
    flower heads
    Soothes stomach-aches
    Anti-inflammatory,
    anti-spasmodic and
    anti-bacterial actions
    Mild sedative

    Feverfew (Tanacetum
    parthenium)

    Sesquiterpenoid
    lactones from leaves
    Used for 2000 years
    Effective head-ache
    treatment, especially
    migraines

    Garli c (Allium sativum)


    Onion (Allium cepa)

    Organo-sulfur
    compounds from
    leaves
    Anti-carcinogenic and
    anti-microbial
    Anti-atherosclerosis
    and anti-hypertensive
    Toxic in high amounts

    Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)


    Complex of
    flavolignans from seeds
    Protects liver against
    toxins, particularly
    against poison from
    Amanitas phalloides
    Helps against hepatitis
    and cirrhosis of the
    liver

    St. Johns Wort (Hypericum


    perforatum)

    extract from leaves


    Effective for
    depression and
    sleeplessness
    anti-retroviral activities
    (AIDS)
    Side effects include
    photosensitivity and
    dermatitis

    Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)

    from fruits
    Increases frequency of
    urination
    Treatment for prostate
    cancer
    Protects against edema
    (water retention) and
    inflammation

    English Hawthorn (Crataegus


    laevigata)

    Leaves, flowers and


    fruit can be used
    Increases dilation of
    blood vessels
    Used for mild forms of
    heart disease

    Green Tea (Camellia sinensis)

    Polyphenols from
    leaves
    anti-cancer inhibiting
    tumor initiation and
    cell proliferation
    anti-oxidant

    Wine Grape (Vitis vinifera)

    Contains over 50 different


    flavonoid phenolics
    including resveratrol and
    catechins
    Reduces heart disease by
    inhibiting platelet
    aggregation, lowering
    LDL (low density
    lipoproteins) and acting as
    antioxidants

    White Wine vs. Red Wine


    Phenolics
    (mg/L)

    White Wine

    Red Wine

    Total Phenolics

    200-300

    1500-3000

    Hydroxycinnamates 50-200

    25-150

    Anthocyanins

    600-1000

    Catechins

    10-50

    60-150

    Flavonols

    Negligible

    25-250

    Licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.)

    Phenolic compounds
    from the root or
    rhizome
    anti-oxidant
    anti-tumor
    anti-inflammatory

    Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

    from the rhizome


    Over 12 compounds
    with anti-oxidant
    activities greater than
    vitamin E
    anti-tumor
    anti-emetic (inhibits
    vomiting)

    Soybeans (Glycine max)

    Contains phytoestrogens like isoflavones


    Reduces health risks associated with menopause:
    osteoporosis and heart disease in women
    Reduces prostrate, colon and breast cancer

    Vegetables

    Vitamin A, C and E
    anti-oxidant
    anti-cancer

    Take Home Message


    Many plants with medicinal qualities
    Often a synergistic effect of different
    compounds
    No magic bullet

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