Native Plants Incorporated

Environmental Policy Institute, 394 Genetics Institute, Inc., 405 Government Seed Testing Station, 338 Harvard University, 307 Kansas State University, 160 Michigan State University, 352,452,453 Monsanto Company, 2,37,284 Native Plants Incorporated, 452 Plant Genetic Systems N.V., 280 Plant Protection Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 215... 

Travelers lucky enough to find themselves in this neck of the woods should pay a visit to Fiddlehead Restaurant Bakery (429 W. Willoughby Ave., s 907-586-3150). Providing natural foods at their best, the Fiddlehead serves international specialties with a local twist. The restaurant works to incorporate native plants into their dishes creating some unique and complex entrees. 

In the same century, there is evidence of peyote use in the United States. The first recorded use of peyote is 1760. By the time of the Civil War (1860-1864), Native Americans were familiar with the plant and had a strong ritual surrounding its use. It was about 1880 that the peyote ceremony of the Kiowa and Comanche tribes first drew public attention. These Plains Indian tribes incorporated aspects of the Mexican peyote worship into their vision-quest ritual. The Plains Indians probably learned about the hallucinogenic cactus when they crossed the border into northern Mexico during various raids on the Mescalero Indians. 

Tryptamine has been identified as a native compound in tomato,132 and the gene encoding tryptophan decarboxylase has been isolated from Catharanthus roseus,133 Plants grown on deuterium oxide incorporated more label into tryptamine than IAA, which was consistent with the result expected for a precursor of IAA. IAOx may be a YUCCA pathway intermediate for IAA biosynthesis in A. thaliana, and perhaps in rice and maize as well however, no enzyme has yet been identified for the conversion of A-hydroxyl tryptamine to IAOx. Because tryptamine is not a compound universally present in plants69 and deuterium oxide labeling ruled out tryptamine as an intermediate in tomato,132 the pathway would have to be species-specific. 

Tea tree oil is extracted from Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant that is native to Australia. It is considered to have antibacterial properties, including an effect on methicil-lin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), while the commensal flora of the skin seem to be less susceptible (1). In addition, it is said to have antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties, and has been increasingly incorporated into cosmetics for aromatherapy. 

Many nonessential trace elements are found in the body. Depending on the local environment, at least 43 elements are normally incorporated into developing teeth another 25 elements are seen less frequently. The rest, notably the heavy metals, have never been detected in teeth. Many trace elements, particularly the heavy metals, are considered when testing for metal poisoning. Many plants concentrate essential and nonessential elements from soil and water, including aluminum (several species of subtropical plants), selenium (many plants), strontium (mesquite beans), and lithium (wolfberries, used by Native Americans in the southwestern United States for jam). Ingestion of these plants can cause toxicity for the element involved. 

For centuries, mankind has searched for the cure of illnesses in herbs. In that sense, approximately one third of drugs actually in use are from plant origin [1]. In the last decades, however, most of the drugs incorporated to the therapeutic arsenal come from synthetic sources. Nevertheless, in recent years a remarkable interest in the study of medicinal plants has appeared, mainly due to the concern about the destruction of rain forest habitats, with the risk of extinction of numerous species. Another fact is the loss of the knowledge related to the use of plant remedies by the people from native settlements, that is very common when they are incorporated to the urban life, and/or when their environmental conditions are seriously transformed. 

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