| For hundreds, if not thousands, of years | | | | drugs used in the U.S. are derived from |
| people have used plants to treat various | | | | plants. Many of the pharmaceuticals we use |
| ailments. In fact there is evidence that | | | | today, including drugs such as opium, |
| those who lived about 60,000 years ago used | | | | aspirin, digitalis, and quinine are basically |
| plants for medicinal purposes. One of the | | | | herbal remedies. For that matter, the World |
| most important attributes of plants is that | | | | Health Organization estimates that 80% of the |
| they have almost a limitless ability to | | | | world's population presently uses herbal |
| synthesize aromatic substances, most of which | | | | medicines for some aspect of primary health |
| have phenols or their oxygen-substituted | | | | care. Herbal medicine is a major component |
| derivatives such as tannins. Most of these | | | | in all traditional medicine systems and a |
| are secondary metabolites, of which at least | | | | common element in homeopathic, naturopathic, |
| 12,000 have been isolated. In many cases | | | | traditional Chinese medicine, and Native |
| these substances serve as plant defense | | | | American Indian medicine. According to the |
| mechanisms against predation by | | | | online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, "a survey |
| microorganisms, insects and herbivores. For | | | | released in May 2004 by the National Center |
| that matter, many of the herbs and spices | | | | for Complementary and Alternative Medicine |
| that we use to season food actually have | | | | focused on who used complementary and |
| include medicinal compounds. Natural cures | | | | alternative medicines (CAM), what was used, |
| and traditional medicine In recent years, | | | | and why it was used. The survey was limited |
| there has been an increased search for drugs | | | | to adults age 18 years and over during 2002 |
| and dietary supplements derived from plants. | | | | living in the United States. According to |
| Pharmacologists, microbiologists, botanists, | | | | this survey, herbal therapy, or use of |
| and natural-product chemists are combing the | | | | natural products other than vitamins and |
| area for phytochemicals that could be | | | | minerals, was the most commonly used CAM |
| developed for the treatment of various | | | | therapy (18.9%), when all use of prayer was |
| diseases. In fact, about 25% of today's | | | | discounted. |