Medicinal Plants Face Extinction

[Guest guest]

Medicinal Plants Face Extinction

BBC News

January 19, 2008

 

Over 400 medicinal plants are at risk of extinction, according to

Botanic Gardens Conservation International, largely because of over-

collection and deforestation.

 

Since over 50 percent of prescription drugs are derived from

chemicals identified in plants, researchers are concerned that

potential cures could become " extinct before they are ever found. "

 

Among the plants most at risk are:

 

Yew tree: The bark is used to create paclitaxel, a widely used cancer

drug (it takes six trees to create a single dose).

 

Hoodia: Large quantities have been harvested from drug companies

looking to create an appetite suppressant/weight loss drug.

 

Magnolia: Magnolia may help fight cancer, dementia and heart disease,

but over half the world's species are threatened.

 

Autumn crocus: A natural treatment for gout and a potential treatment

for leukemia, autumn crocus is at risk from over-harvesting.

 

Although many of the active ingredients from these at-risk plants are

now created in a lab, billions of people in the developing world, who

still use plant-based medicine as their primary form of health care,

will be harshly impacted by their loss.

Sources:

 

BBC News January 19, 2008

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Nature is certainly full of powerful, potential solutions to most of

your health problems. However, once these natural plants are

synthesized in a laboratory and highly processed away from their

associated accessory factors, they often lack many of their

beneficial properties.

 

It is frequently incorrect to believe that we are smarter than nature

and can properly isolate the " active " compound -- and assume it is

equivalent to whole, unprocessed and fresh raw material.

 

It is especially sad that the few remaining tribal communities in the

world, who still rely on truly natural plants as medicinal remedies,

may have their supplies wiped out because of drug-companies' greed.

 

Of course, when anything -- plant, animal, insect or otherwise --

becomes extinct, it will have far-reaching ramifications on the

entire ecosystem, in ways that we probably cannot even imagine at

this point.

 

It's important to remember, though, that while herbs can often be

helpful, and typically are not harmful (especially compared to

prescription drugs), they are still frequently only addressing your

health challenges on a superficial level -- and it is uncommon for

them to effectively treat the cause of your health challenge.

 

What you really want to do is focus on finding the foundational cause

of your health challenge, and address them at the causal level.

 

Some of the Best Medicinal Plants are Your Food!

 

While I am the first one to marvel at the amazing healing properties

of plants found in the earth's rainforests, deserts, and oceans, it's

not always necessary to seek out an exotic plant or herb to cure what

ails you.

 

In fact, some of the best " cures " around are actually right in the

food you eat!

 

You will get the most benefits not from seeking out the

latest " miracle food, " but rather by sampling a variety of healthy,

fresh and WHOLE foods that your body was designed to eat.

 

I highly recommend that you find out your nutritional type, as this

allows you to pinpoint the foods that your individual biochemistry

requires. In fact, this program has been one of the most profoundly

effective tools I have ever encountered to help you accurately

establish the optimal foods you need to improve, and sustain, your

health.

 

By planning your meals to consist of these foods, you will be getting

regular doses of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, phytochemicals,

antioxidants and more, and these things will nurture and support your

body.

 

Medicinal plants certainly do have their place in certain

circumstances (provided they are in their natural form), and I

believe efforts should be taken to preserve all of them before it's

too late -- but it is still the food you eat everyday that can

actively shape your health, for better or for worse.

 

Related Articles:

 

Eight of the World's Most Unusual Plants

 

Plants With Eyes

 

Manipulating Plants to Make Vaccines

 

www.mercola.com