Plant extracts are liquids
from plants that are frequently used as medicines. For example, digitalis is a
common heart medicine that comes from the foxglove flower. Aspirin was
originally derived from the bark of the willow tree. Plant extracts have been
used to treat diseases for thousands of years and still play a large role in
health care for most people in the world. Plant extracts are also used in
toiletries such as shampoo and soap as well as to flavor food. If you read the
ingredient list in your toiletries, you will probably find plant extracts!
Illustrations of medicinal plants
from the 15th century Byzantium herbal medicine guidebook, De Materia Medica of Dioscórides.
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Plant
extracts have been used for medicine, nutrition, and cosmetics for thousands of
years in ancient cultures such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China. One recipe
found on a clay tablet from 2100 BC near Baghdad included extracts of snake
skin, myrtle root, barley, and pine tree resin. This sounds a lot like the
witches brew in Shakespeare’s Macbeth! To enhance athletic performance, a Greek
physician prescribed a potion that included mule hooves along with extracts of
rose hips and petals. Plant derived medicines, cosmetics, fragrances, and
performance boosters have been a big business for a long time. Today the annual
market for herbs for dietary supplements is $5.3 billion dollars in the U.S.
alone. There are many opportunities for science careers in this field including
research on herbal medicines and developing treatments and therapies.
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