Beneficial Plant Society

Andrew Weil, author of The Natural Mind and The Marriage of the Sun and Moon and President of the Beneficial Plant Research Society. 

Mariani wine, containing an extract ol Peruvian coca leaves, was made in Paris in the late 18U0s and became the most popular medical prescription in the world, used by kings, queens, leaders of society, and at least one pope. (From the Vin Mariani Album of 1901, Beneficial Plant Research Association Reprint Edition, 1981 courtesy of Fitz Hugh Ludlow Memorial Libraryl... 

The discovery that, in industrialised societies, diets deficient in fruits and vegetables can effectively double the risk of developing many different types of cancer has focused renewed attention on the beneficial properties of these foods (Block e/a/., 1992 Patterson ef a/., 1990 Southon and Faulks, 2002). As we have seen, plant foods are rich in micronutrients, but they also contain an immense variety of biologically active secondary metabolites providing colour, flavour and natural toxicity to pests and sometimes humans (Johnson et ah, 1994). The chemistry and classification of such substances is still a matter for much research and debate, but this has not prevented attempts to isolate and exploit substances that have variously been termed protective factors , phytoprotectants , phytochemicals and nutraceuticals . Phytochemical compounds include ... 

Salvia divinorum as an herb can be used quite safely and many people claim that it has proved beneficial to them. Hopefully there will not be a rush to isolate the pure compound as it is almost inevitable that it will cause problems, people will get hurt, the compound and possibly the plant will get negative attention and it will become scheduled. We will just be adding one more potentially valuable plant ally to the list of species which are already feared and condemned in our society. 

In 1785 William Withering showed that an extract from foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) was beneficial for treating people with heart problems. The majority of cures for disease in our present society have come from nature either by extracting the active components from the plants or by mimicking them using chemical synthesis. Both of these are very fruitful areas of research.1... 

Bacteria are both harmful and beneficial. They degrade the waste-products produced by society. They are used in wastewater treatment plants— thus, they are beneficial. On the other hand, they can also be pathogenic. The bacteria. Salmonella typhosa, causes typhoid fever Shigella flexneri causes bacillary dysentery. Clostridium tetani excretes toxins producing tetanus. Clostridium botulinum excretes the toxin causing botulism. Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the agent for diphtheria. 

The nature of pesticides is one of a poison deliberately being applied to plants and animals for the benefit of man. Much work has been done on the methods to do this most efficiently and effectively. Finding pesticides to accomplish this task has been rewarding and has increased both the quality and quantity of mankind food supply. This is clearly the beneficial and good side of the coin and is a fairly well-known fact in the agricultural community, but much less well-known and appreciated by the consumers in our society. 

Early societies all over the world found that certain types of plants could be used for medicinal purposes. Though only relatively recently have people attempted to gain a detailed understanding of the chemistry behind these methods, the overarching reason why these methods work is because a chemical in the plant interacts with the chemicals in your body in a beneficial way. 

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