Nature’s marvellous medicine
Presenter: Diana Bowles
Published: July 2013
Age: 14-19 and upwards
Views: 1088 views
Tags: medicine;drug;plant;extract;taxol
Type: Discussions
Source/institution: Royal Society
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For hundreds of years we have used plants and their extracts for their healing properties. Ancient Egyptians chewed white willow bark to relieve fevers and reduce inflammation, and many years later scientists discovered that the bark contains salicylic acid, the active ingredient used to make aspirin. Today we continue to turn to plants for medicinal uses, such as harvesting the bark of Yew trees to produce Taxol, a chemotherapy drug for treating cancer. In this panel discussion we investigate how sustainable it is to derive our medicines from natural resources, exploring the medical, economical and social benefits in comparison to drugs synthesised in the lab.
