Palm House continued Palm House continued Warm Temperate House Some Medicinal Plants of the Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) Quinine (Cinchona pubescens) Cayenne (Capsicum annuum) Lyman Conservatory Magazines and journals, including Nature News and One of the many cultivars By Irene Soulos 7 11 National Geographic, of Capsicum annuum, Smith College Botanic Garden Summer Intern 2015 estimate that half of all 9 cayenne was brought from humans who have ever tropical America to Europe lived died of malaria, a in the 16th century. It deadly mosquito-borne contains the chemical disease. For hundreds of compound capsaicin, years, indigenous which diminishes nerve peoples of Peru used the pain by desensitizing nerve bark of quinine to cure endings. It is therefore used malaria. Jesuit in topical oil rubs to treat Controversy surrounds the use of this Philippine missionaries brought the rheumatism, arthritis, and plant due to reports that it can cause severe liver knowledge of quinine to shingles. A gargle made damage. It is even banned in several European Europe, and since then, from a pinch of cayenne in warm water can relieve a countries and Canada. However, in countries where other antimalarials have sore throat. Capsaicin also stimulates blood flow, and the plant is legal, the roots are used medicinally in been developed. is taken in tincture or pill form to treat cold hands and teas and tinctures to relieve stress, anxiety, and feet caused by poor circulation. muscle pain. When consumed in large quantities, Cool Temperate House kava kava can induce euphoric states, intoxication, Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) and sleep. Kava kava can be purchased in many Tea (Camellia sinensis) Originally from Madagascar, this plant was used grocery stores and health food stores in the United This Asian plant is best known for making one of traditionally to treat a range of ailments including sore States. the most popular beverages in the world. Green throats, eye infections, diabetes, and tumors. Research M any of our medicines come from plants. Some and black teas have been manufactured for has revealed an abundance of alkaloids, including medicines, like herbal teas, obviously come from Cacao (Theobroma cacao) thousands of years by drying, and in the case of vincristine and vinblastine, which are used to treat a plants. It is less apparent that others, like aspirin, or Native to Mexico and Central and South America, number of cancers the chemotherapy drug vincristine, are derived black tea, fermenting, the youngest leaves of this 12 cacao has been used by evergreen shrub. The leaves are steeped in water to Since the 1950s, the from plants. However, from teas and tinctures to indigenous peoples since produce a beverage with anti-inflammatory, use of vincristine has ointments and pills, plants are omnipresent in our before 1,000 B.C.E. It is best antioxidant, and stimulating effects. These effects increased the survival traditional and modern medicines . known as the main rate in patients of have preventive properties against cardiovascular Often, the only factor that differentiates medicine ingredient in chocolate, one childhood leukemia diseases and cancer. from poison is dosage. We use the seemingly of the most popular foods by over 900%. in the world. Up to half of 10 harmless herb rosemary to flavor our foods and each cacao bean is made of treats ailments like headaches, but extreme doses of rosemary can cause seizures, comas, and even fat, called theobroma oil or Further Reading cocoa butter, which is used PDR for Herbal Medicines, Thompson Publishers (2007) death. This is why even herbal medicines should topically to treat chapped The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, Andrew Chevallier (1996) only be used under the instruction of medical skin and stretch marks. professionals. Photograph Credits Cacao seeds contain The medicinal plants that we use today come from Rosemary by D.R.D. Luria theobromine, a chemical all over the world. Our cough drops are made from that stimulates the heart Curare courtesy of the National Tropical Botanical Garden Ginger by Nataraja at Wikimedia.com Australian eucalyptus. Native to central and and dilates blood vessels, lowering blood pressure Turmeric by Simon Eugster southern Asia, medicinal marijuana is used to treat and risk of heart attack. The darker the chocolate, the Kava Kava by Forest & Kim Starr nausea, pain, and anxiety. Humans worldwide rely higher the cacao content; dark chocolate therefore Cinchona by H. Zell on each other to share medicinal plants and has more potent medicinal properties than milk Cayenne by Pierre Selim knowledge. The use of plants as medicine is a chocolate. Madagascar Periwinkle by Arria Belli practice that unites all people on Earth. Succulent House Numbers on this map correspond to locations of plants Palm House Aloe (Aloe vera) Curare (Chondrodendron tomentosum) Widely used, aloe has a 13 1 A vine native to tropical South America and Panama, billion dollar market value in the curare can climb as medical and cosmetic high as a ten-story 4 industries. A slippery, clear gel building. The in the leaves protects and heals compound burns and scrapes when applied tubocurarine, which is topically. The yellow liquid from extracted from the the base of the leaves, called leaves and roots, is a bitter aloes, stimulates powerful muscle contractions of the colon when relaxant. In South ingested, and is used as a America, a dart poison laxative. made from curare is used on the tips of hunting arrows to paralyze game. Tubocurarine is also used in Mexican Yam (Dioscorea mexicana) modern-day anesthetics. The natural habitat of the Mexican yam ranges from Southern Mexico to Panama. A steroidal substance Ginger (Zingiber officinale) extracted from the root can be used to synthesize Now recognized in modern medicinal practice, this the human hormone tropical Asian plant, has been used for centuries in progesterone, which helps 2 5 traditional medicine. Its prevent pregnancy by thinning fibrous, yellow rhizome the uterine lining and thickening can be utilized both cervical mucus. After the fresh and dry as an synthesis process was discovered, antiseptic and to scientists made the first oral relieve nausea and contraceptive, which was a huge digestive ailments. A leap forward in the movement for 1990 study published in the women’s reproductive rights. journal Anaesthesia concluded that ginger reduced postoperative nausea as effectively as a nausea Show House pharmaceutical. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) This ginger family member has a vibrant orange Native to dry areas of the Mediterranean, this rhizome that has long been used in dyes, curries, and evergreen shrub contains essential oils and the medicines by peoples of India and southern Asia. compound rosmaricine, Formal research in the 1970s confirmed the belief 3 both of which relieve pain that turmeric has potent anti-cancer, antifungal, and and stimulate the nervous antiseptic properties. Some studies show that system. Both Ancient turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that Greek and modern folk surpass those of hydrocortisone. Turmeric is used medicine utilize rosemary topically to treat skin to stimulate blood flow to conditions such 6 the brain, improving as eczema, concentration and athlete’s foot, memory. It is also used to and psoriasis, alleviate migraines and and is taken orally to headaches. treat acne. .