Plants%20that%20Heal

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Plants that Heal
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What makes plants medicinal or therapeutic?

• Primary metabolites needed for the life of a
  plant includes sugars, amino acids, proteins,
  fats and nucleic acids
• Secondary metabolites chemicals that are needed
  for specific stages of development have various
  metabolic activities
• 3 major classes of secondary metabolites
  alkaloids, terpenoids and phenolics

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Alkaloids

• bitter tasting organic compounds containing
  nitrogen
• one of the most important medicinally active
  compounds
• examples morphine, caffeine,nicotine

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Terpenoids

• unsaturated hydrocarbons of plant resins and oils
• examples
• 1. isoprene
• 2. essential oils
• 3. taxol
• 4. rubber

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Phenolics

• compounds with -OH group attached to an aromatic
  ring
• Examples
• 1. flavonoids (purple pigments)
• 2. tannins (brownish coloration)
• 3. lignins
• 4. salicylic acid

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How are medicinal plants used?

• compress
• decoction
• essential oils
• extracts
• herbal vinegars

• cloth soaked in warm or cool herbal solution and
  applied directly to injured areas
• tea made from bark, root, seed and simmered for
  20-30 minutes
• derived from plants through steam distillation or
  cold pressing
• made by pressing plants and soaking in alcohol or
  water
• plants put into vinegar and left to stand for 2
  or more weeks

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• infusion
• ointments
• poultices
• powder
• syrup
• tincture

• leaves, flowers and other parts of the plants are
  steeped, not boiled for 5-10 min. in hot water
• an extract,tea, pressed juice or powdered from a
  herb is added to a salve
• hot, soft mass of herbs spread on cloth and
  applied for up to 24 hours on areas of the body

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Ethnobotanical Approach

• 1. A cosmological view of the universe is
  incorporated
• 2. A cultural context within which health care
  is given
• 3. A repertoire of pharmaceutical substances is
  utilized

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Comparison of diseases

• Western
• Nervous 29
• Renal-blood 17
• Ob/gyn 14
• Antimi 12
• Cardiovas 10
• Inflam 7
• Cancer 4
• GI 2
• Derma 1
• others 4

• Indigenous
• GI 15
• Derma 15
• Inflam 12
• Renal-blood11
• Nervous 10
• Antimicro 9
• Ob/gyn 7
• Cardivas 2
• Cancer 1
• Others 16

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Comparison bet. herbal medicines and conventional
drugs

• Conventional
• based on isolated chemicals
• many made synthetically
• not part of the natural energy cycle and so are
  deficient in energy

• Herbal medicine
• based on whole plant
• all are natural
• are energy rich as they use the sun's energy

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• use unnaturally high concentrations of chemicals
• more dramatic in their action
• lower the vitality of the body

• use natural substances
• are slower to work
• enhance vitality of the body

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Selected medicinal plants developed from
Ethnobotanical sources
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Cinchona sp. (Rubiaceae)
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• source of quinine
• bark used against malaria
• malaria is the world's greatest killer
• Cinchona was discovered by the Jesuits in South
  America used by the Indians

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Filipendula ulmaria (Rosaceae)
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• Source of salicylic acid
• bark is boiled but very bitter and can cause
  stomach ache
• no. 1 used for aches and pains and resulted to
  aspirin

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Rauvolfia sp. (Apocynaceae)
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• used by the Hindu people of Nepal and India
• originally used to treat snakebites because the
  root resembled a snake
• is now used to treat hypertension due to the
  chemical reserpine

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Atropa belladonna (Solanaceae)
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• also called deadly nightshade because it is very
  poisonous
• women use drops from the leaves to make their
  pupils expand and produce wide-eyed, innocent
  look
• used to treat glaucoma

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Erythroxylum coca (Erythroxylaceae)
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• coca leaves
• used by Peruvians to control hunger
• source of cocaine which act on the central
  nervous system so that the coca chewer feel
  invigorated and relatively immune to fatigue and
  hunger

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Papaver somniferum (Papaveraceae)
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• Opium
• called joy plant b the Sumerians
• Arabs brought the plant to China
• no. 1 choice as an analgesic in the form of
  morphine and codeine(very potent alkaloids)
• heroin is the synthetic form

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Digitalis purpurea (Scrophulariaceae)
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• contains digitoxin and digoxin
• used for atrial fibrillation or irregular
  heartbeats

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Ephedra sinica (Ephedraceae)
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• part used are the stems
• contain ephedrine
• also called ma huang in China
• stimulates the central nervous system and may
  decrease appetite and elevate mood

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Syzygium aromaticum (Myrtaceae)
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• contains eugenol which cures toothache
• very aromatic and can be used as spice

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Physostigma venenosum (Fabaceae)
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Pilocarpus jaborandi (Rutaceae)
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• source of physostigmine and pilocarpine
  respectively
• both used for glaucoma

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Camellia sinensis (Theaceae)
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• active ingredient caffeine
• stimulant
• contain theophylline which is a diuretic and used
  for asthma
• also contain essential oils that are good
  antibacterial and antifungal agents
• anti-oxidants ?

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Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae)
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• important chemicals are vinblastine and
  vincristine
• used in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease and
  pediatric leukemia

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Cannabis sativa (Cannabaceae)
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• active ingredient is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)
• used as an anti-emetic

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Philippine Medicinal Plants (DOH)

• Akapulko (Cassia alata)

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Ampalaya( Momordica charantia)
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Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
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Bawang, Bauang / Garlic (Allium sativum)
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Bayabas (Psidium guajava)
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Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
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Gumamela (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn)
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Lagundi (Vitex negundo)
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Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
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Pansit-Pansitan (Peperomia pellucida Linn.)
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Sabila or Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)
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Sambong (Blumea balsamifera L.)
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Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)
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Tsaang Gubat or Wild Tea (Ehretia microphylla
Lam.)
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Yerba Buena (Mentha spicata)