Medicinal Plants

Here is a fascinating and detailed account of medicinal plants and their uses:

https://archive.org/details/homesteading-survival-manuals/MEDICINAL%20PLANTS/page/n7/mode/2up

I emailed this account to friend Mario Mardones because he is a big believer in medicinal plants, and his daughter Vanessa works for a company that makes medicinal remedies.

One of supplements I take is sawgrass palmetto to help with prostrate health. Some time ago, a doctor wanted to take a tissue sample of my prostate, and I told him I preferred to use sawgrass palmetto over letting him "slice and dice" my prostate, which I'm sure insulted him. No matter; I think my prostate is just fine. I have enough other things to worry about.


Certainly, many drugs that are supplied are based on medicinal plants. Digitalis is one I can think of that is manufactured from the deadly nightshade plant (left) and has been used for centuries. Here is the Internet has to say about digitalis:

The Physicians of Myddvai, a Welsh family of physicians, included digitalis in their prescriptions as early as 1250. However, its use remained sporadic until the 18th century. 

William Withering

The English physician and botanist William Withering popularized the medical use of digitalis in his 1785 monograph, An Account of the Foxglove. Withering's work described the clinical effects of digitalis and its potential toxicity, and he recommended when to gather foxglove leaves for medicinal purposes. 

First drug to treat dropsy

Digitalis was the first drug used to treat dropsy, or swollen ankles, a symptom of heart failure. It was a mainstay of heart failure treatment for over a century, along with diuretics. 

Toxicity

Herbalists listed the foxglove plant as poisonous over 400 years ago. Digitalis has been used in fictional homicides by Mary Webb, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie. 

Current use

Today, digitalis is generally only used to treat heart failure associated with atrial fibrillation or a rapid ventricular rate. 

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