Sources of medicine

Gallic acid has a limited use as a dyestuffs intermediate and as a source of medicinals. 

A point that is often forgotten in westernized medicine is that of the approximate 7 billion people in the world at this moment, more than 80% of them do not have routine access to drugs as they are defined in Western medicine, but rely upon predominately plant-based therapies as their sources of medicinal agents. Even in areas of the world where single agent drugs are available, traditional therapeutic regimens such as Ayurveda in India, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Japanese and Korean herbals are still the major source of medicinals. 

Higher plants are a very important source of medicinally useful compounds. Catharanthus roseus is one of the most important of these plants, and this chapter focuses on the further isolation work directed at the identification of new potentially more active and/or less toxic bisindole alkaloids. In addition, the biosynthesis of the indole alkaloids of C. roseus is reviewed. While the former area of research has been dominated by sophisticated high-field NMR and high-resolution mass spectral analyses. 

The violets are cosmopolitan with Viola temperate. They include a few sources of medicinals and perfume oils, but most are valued as garden plants. 

Ming, L.C. Ageratum conyzoides A tropical source of medicinal and agricultural products. In Perspectives on New Crops and New Uses, Janick, J. eds. Alexandria, VA USA ASHS Press 1999 pp 469-473. 

The same sources of medicine are available to us today as were available, even to ancient civilizations. They is the wide array of chemicals found in plants. Witch doctors, medicine men and old wives proved to be very perceptive in knowing which plants to select for which complaint. 

Plants Revamping the Oldest Source of Medicines with Modern Science ... 

Reviews have been published3,4 covering the importance of microbial products as a source of medicines which include the statins, arguably one of the most successful class of drugs in the history of medicine. A list of commercialised... 

Various animals are predators of marmots, including golden eagles, hawks, foxes, and coyotes. Humans are also predators of marmots in some parts of their range, using the animals as a source of meat, and sometimes as a source of medicinal oils. 

Chemical oceanography investigates the chemical make-up of the oceans. Many studies in this area are geared to understanding how to use the oceans resources to produce food for a growing populaticn. In additiorr, the oceans may ccntain future sources of medicine, provide us with alternative energy, and help us to better protect our envircnment. 

Agelet, A., Bonet, M.A. and Valles, J. (2000). Homegardens and their role as a main source of medicinal plants in mountain regions of Catalonia (Iberian Peninsula), Economic Botany, 54 295-309. 

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