The natural history of medicinal plants / Judith Sumner ; foreword by Mark J. Plotkin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sumner, Judith.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Botany, Medical.

Medicinal plants.

Physical Description:

235 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Medicinal plants

Place of Publication:

Portland, Or. : Timber Press, [2000]

Summary:

Wild and cultivated plants have provided humans with cures for thousands of years. Aspirin, for example, the most widely used drug in the Western pharmacopoeia, was first isolated from willows to treat fever, pain, and inflammation. Today it is synthesized in the laboratory, and its use as an anticoagulant eventually could overshadow its use as an analgesic. Other botanical medicines that became significant to human health and well-being are pain-relievers from opium and coca, muscle relaxants from curare, blood anticoagulants from sweet clover, anticancer alkaloids from Madagascar periwinkle and Pacific yew, tranquilizers from snakeroot, and oral contraceptives from molecular precursors in tropical yams.

Although we may be tempted to think of these and other plant chemicals existing primarily for our medicinal use, in reality they are defense strategies in a natural world colonized by organisms competing for survival. In this fascinating introduction to the botanical compounds used medicinally, Dr. Sumner describes their biological and ecological importance as toxins and deterrents in protecting plants. Some of these chemicals discourage predators by rendering plant leaves unpalatable, while others disrupt the usual developmental and reproductive stages of their attackers. Still others are well known for their potent psychotropic effects that can dangerously alter the awareness and reflexes of plant-eating animals. An exciting chapter on the new field of zoopharmacognosy provides some interesting examples of birds, primates, and elephants that seemingly recognize and use plants as medicines. The author concludes with a thought-provoking analysis of the issues behind using medicinal plants to improve human needs without destroying the earth's biodiversity.

Written for the lay reader, The Natural History of Medicinal Plants will inspire a greater appreciation of the vast natural pharmacy of plant medicines. Numerous black and white illustrations and 30 color plates accompany the text.

Contents:

Chapter 1. A Brief History of Medicinal Botany 15

Plant Medicines in Prehistory 16

Early Records 17

Botanical Medicine in Early Europe 18

The Medieval Period 21

Herbals and Herbalists of the Renaissance 24

What's in a Name? 31

The Nineteenth Century 33

Medicinal Chemistry 36

Future Directions 37

Chapter 2. Acquiring Knowledge 39

Poison or Medicine, Toxin or Drug? 43

Gathering Information 45

Herbarium Collections 51

Healing Gardens 54

Chapter 3. Medicinal Plants in Nature 59

Sacred Groves 60

Medicinal Forests 62

The Asian Connection 67

Dispersal and Naturalization of Medicinal Plants 71

New World Introductions 72

Curiosity, Cultivation, and History 76

Chapter 4. Toxins and Cures: A Cabinet of Plant Chemicals 79

A Natural Explanation 81

Family Histories 83

Carbon Chemistry 84

Early Strategies 86

Terpenes and Essential Oils 89

Alkaloids 93

Glycosides 99

The Cabinet Revealed 105

Chapter 5. Defensive Strategies and Plant Chemistry 107

Insect Strategies 109

Plant Strategies 111

Developmental Controls 115

Borrowed Molecules 118

Chemical Evolution 122

Chapter 6. Significant Discoveries 125

Opium Poppy 126

Coca 129

Curare Plants 131

Willows 133

Snakeroot 135

Kombe 138

Madagascar Periwinkle 139

Pacific Yew 141

Medicinal Futures 143

Chapter 7. Zoopharmacognosy and Botanical Toxins 145

Chimpanzees and Self-Medication 147

Gorilla Fruits 150

New World Forests 151

Additional Evidence of Zoopharmacognosy 154

Disarming Toxins 156

Domestic Strategies 159

Reality, Interpretation, and the Methods of Science 160

Chapter 8. Chemical Prospecting and New Plant Medicines 163

Cancer Drugs from Plants 165

Plants and AIDS 168

Botanical Antibiotics 171

Plants and the Mind 175

Future Prospects 178

Chapter 9. Protecting Medicinal Biodiversity and Knowledge 181

Tropical Conservation 182

Temperate Conservation 186

Preserving Knowledge 191

Ownership of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Knowledge 195

Medicinal Plants, Legislation, and the Law 197

Botanic Gardens, Seed Banks, and Cultivation 200

Chapter 10. Herbal Histories, Considerations, and Caveats 203

Essential Herbs 206

Doses and Efficacy 210

Plant Toxins and Risks 212.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-223) and index.

ISBN:

0881924830

OCLC:

43286652