Medicinal Plants:

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Medicinal Plants Merging Science and Folklore
Separating Science from Pseudoscience
rationalwiki.org
2
Three main branches of herbal medicine
isolafelice.info
whatsonxiamen.com
The Ayurvedic tradition of India
Chinese herbal medicine
The Western herbal tradition (based on Greek,
Roman and medieval sources)
bungechord.com
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"'Doctrine of Signatures plants resemble the
organs where they have the most medicinal value
Toothwort
Lungwort
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungwort
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothwor
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A major misconception about herbal medicine.
Natural safe
ukskeptics.com
Belladonna (deadly nightshade)
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A major misconception about herbal medicine.
Natural safe
members.tripod.com
ukskeptics.com
Comfrey
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Major problems with herbal medicine.
Herbal medicines can interfere with prescribed
drugs.
herbs.gems4friends.com
St. Johns wort
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Major problems with herbal medicine.
There are limited government regulations and
oversight (no quality control)
toxicopoeia.com
Ephedra sinica (Ma Huang)
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Some common herbs and the scientific evidence to
support their use
Echinacea purpura
wyldestonecottage.blogspot.com
Claim alleviates symptoms of upper respiratory
infections
Evidence Mixed
10
Some common herbs and the scientific evidence to
support their use
Garlic
hairskincarebeautytips.com
Claim treatment of high cholesterol, cancer
prevention, common cold
Evidence mixed but somewhat positive results in
lowering cholesterol and preventing colds
case-control studies suggest some protection
against stomach and colorectal cancer
11
Some common herbs and the scientific evidence to
support their use
Acai berry
bestwaytoloseweightfast.info
Claim weight loss and anti-aging
Evidence no independent studies confirm the
claims made by sellers and distributers
12
Some common herbs and the scientific evidence to
support their use
Ginkgo biloba
kcweb.com
Claim treatment for dementia and memory loss
Evidence mixed large, well-controlled studies
show no effect
13
Some common herbs and the scientific evidence to
support their use
Tea tree oil
newsi.es
Claim treatment of burns, wounds, skin
infections, acne
Evidence controlled clinical trials show some
significant anti-microbial activity and some
effectiveness against acne, warts and cold sores
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Some common herbs and the scientific evidence to
support their use
Taxol
virtualmuseum.ca
Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia)
Claim anti-cancer properties
Evidence highly effective against ovarian
cancer
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How are new medicines evaluated?
Testing Medicines A Clinical Trial
Clker.com
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How are the studies testing new medicines
evaluated?
Evaluating Clinical Trials
ClipartOf.com/438550