//5.a. Nature has provided medicines to treat disease for thousands of years Flashcards
How has medicine come from nature
- many modern medicines originate from natural compoumds found in wild plants and other natural sources such as microbes and anumaks (e.g. snak venom in drugs used to treat heart conditions)
- long before scientific medicine, plants were used for medicine e.g. woundowrt
Who was Hippocrates
- a Greek physician
- recorded more than 300 medicinal plants and herbs which he classified according to their physiological action
Importance of herbal medicine in 1673
- this was underlined in London in 1673 when the society of Apothecaries established the Chelsea Physic garden
- the healing qualities of many plants were known that their common names refelcted this e.g. lunghort
How did morphine contribute to medicine
- it was the first naturally derived medicine
- 19th century
- morphine is extract from the latex produced in unripe seed pods of several poppy species
- end of 19th century-glycosides discovered
What are alkaloids
- a naturally occurring chemical compound
- the active ingredient in many medicinal drugs
What is glycoside
- a compound formed from sugar and another compound
- many medicines now are glycosides derived from plants e.g. asprin
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: salicin- source
the bark of white willow and other willow species
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: salicin- growing conditions
widespread on river bank, floodplains and wetland throughout the temperate zone
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: salicin- medical usage
this is used for pain relief
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: caffeine- source
tea, coffee, coca and other plants
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: caffeine- growing conditions
tropical and sub tropical conditions, temperatures averaging 20 to 27 degrees celcius
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: caffeine- medical usage
it is used as a stimulant for CNS, heart muscles and migraines
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: nicotine- source
found in tobacco plant
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: nicotine- growing conditions
optimal mean daily temperatures 20-30 degrees celcius, rainfall 600-800mm
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: nicotine- medical usage
used as a main active ingredient in new drugs to treat wounds and depression
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: morphine- source
it is from dried latex from seed pods of several species of opium poppy
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: morphine- growing conditions
warm, humid conditions, 30-38 degrees celius temperatures
Medicinal drugs derived from natural compounds: morphine- medical usage
used as a pain reliever
Case study of one medicinal plant: the rosy periwinkle- what is it? Briefly describe it
- it is a small evergreen shrub which is native to Madagascar although it is now common in many tropical and sub tropical regions
- the plant requires a warm tropical climate where soils are well drained but moisture retaining and slighltly acidic
Case study of one medicinal plant: the rosy periwinkle- what is it used for?
- it is used to treat wasp stings in India
- used to treat diabetes in China and the Philippines
Case study of one medicinal plant: the rosy periwinkle- what does it contain?
- it contains 70 know alkaloids, several of which have significant medical value
- two of these (vincristine and vinblastine) have been developed as powerful drugs in the treatment of various cancers
- vincristine is used in chemotherapy in childhood leukaemia- 90% survival rate
- vinblastine proved effective in treating Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Case study of one medicinal plant: the rosy periwinkle- Why can’t scientists use the periwinkle
- they have been unable to synthesise the alkaloids and production of the drugs relies on commercial cultivation of the rosy periwinkle
- global scales of vincrisine/vinblastine are worth millions. Few of these profits are channelled back to Madagascar-this is exploitation of biological resources (biopiracy)
- biopiracy hinders economic hrowth and progress in tackling poverty and inequality
Mecicinal plants are mainly derived from wild populations and are at risk of extinction-what does this mean?
It means that reliance on medicine from wild plants is high in the developing world
Explain how supply and demand is a conservation issue arising from the international trade in medicinal plants
- most plants are sourced from natural supply-rosy periwinkle and foxglove are cultivated
- 80% of people in the developing world relu on traditional medicines-so demand is high
- species are under pressure because medicinal plants are sought