The Forest Pharmacy: A Photo EssayAuthor(s): Steven FosterSource: Forest & Conservation History, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Jan., 1994), pp. 4-6Published by: Forest History Society and American Society for Environmental HistoryStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3983581 .

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s~~~~~~~~DD' TI- USE OF PLAeg ASc MEICN

l~~~~~~~N OBCUIT AFoE THEDARKAGEs 3 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ FI REMDIE JUS OI WIVE TALES 3A3Nu u iLl IIrFe t.. .

>~~~~~~~~~~~TF OF WICE BRw TANWE IS Rt

X3 fi|3 ~ ~ ~ EQvoA No. Ovp 40 C+ cENr 1 oFjqJ|l-1 111 L

| | 5Z-J-tJ DRUGS sOL IN T.HE*UN*

~~~~~~~LEAS ON ING REEN i;DF^ 1 11 1IC_.l p

13 & E - 3T l X -;any s 2 percen

|$g ~~~~tainnaningrere d _ deie fro hihe ft ~~(also called myrtle) is acommnonornamia S;gatd t

_ I ~~~~as aground cover outside homes 11 fil ;

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Purpk coflir ^ ~~~~~~~or or ctyhih-rises.Few people __Found ino4 0 1 _ [ ~~~~~who pass by the planlt realize __woods and ets. j

s ~~~~~~~~~that preparations derived Loiiaa U

_ j! l~~~~~~~n chemotherapy for _ jt(Cnadeqt q leukemia and more than

: ; ~~~~~a dozen other types - _ S n e , i

r~~~~~~~o cancer. K 3 iJ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ = _ b _w X~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~E__ _

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Saw palmetto Found inlow pine woods, savannas, and thickets. South Carolina, Georgia, Florida to Alabama, and Missis- sippi. Pharmacological studies suggest this plant may be useful in treatment of prostate disorders. It is also used for colds, coughs, a . sthma, chronic bron- chitis, and migraine headaches. Considered an expectorant, seda- tive, and diuretic.

Mayapple Found in w i ea ings. Southern Mainq t&N$ P

to Minnesota. A*`*ena`" ` nd- -

early settlers useS.-'iroots, as i purgati; and worm exp*1lent iws fr the ro,o is used to treat warts and a

. semi synthetiqrtwF e of the pattwff approved by tih-E*d and gAdn *w-

istration for tes I,E4ai{ st lt ia-e lung cancers. - '

... .g >P.Z... I..:.; . . ... . $.<..

Akaloids derived from the fng t which grows on rye grass and giant cane, ar used as uterine-contractinng. Themmiy cardiac glycosides from foxglove,cmony......

planted as an omamental flower are used ;in

a varety of products for the a t o several phases of heart dis .

.. .. tA

The primary source of material for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones is the plant kingdom. The social, economic, and political impact of oral contraceptives alone illustrate the importance of this

group of plant-derived drugs. The manufacture of progester- one was made commercially feasible by the use of chemicals from Mexican yams, which were then converted to progesterone. With all the advances of modem medicine, there is still nothing to replace morphine, derived from the opium poppy, as a pain reliever for major trauma. The fact is, herbs- plant.drugs-are -i tfy rtant

taznANlstd

d{nd,WWe

X \ i t " '~~~~~vl; # . 't2.1 f 1 tw.4;

Pacifi yewv fo Xndi 'woods. Pacifi Noflih w est. Calforsiia to . . British fojumbiajgI .

sout/etn.Alaska. , AIiltand MotW4n4 Ikt.e Americans used

w for rheumaism f4er, paralysis, d general pain. Taxol, a derivative of the tree's bark and needles, has been studied recently as a promising treat- ment for various types of cancer, and is an approved treatment for refractory ovarian cancer. Photo courtesy of the USDA Forest Service.

Jojoba Found in arid rocky hills and moun- tains. Southern Cali- fornia and Arizona. Jojoba oil, from the seeds, has physical properties similar to whale oil, for which it is used as a substitute. The oil is widely used as a skin-softening agent in cosmetics.

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Ametican ginseng Found in rich woods. Maine to Georgia; Oklahoma to Minnesota. The root is consid- ered a demulcent. Research suggests it may increase mental efficiency and physical performance; it may also aid the body in adapting to high or low temperatures and

- stress. Ginseng's i effect is called

"adaptogenic," meaning it tends to return the body to normaL

Cascara Sagrada Found in can- yons and lower mountain slopes. California to British Colum- bia; Idaho. American Indians used the hark to make a tea that induced vomit- ing; also used as a laxative.

since it costs, in our litigious American society, $125 million to prove a new drug safe and efficacious, we may need to wait for the

Japanese to develop these natural medi- cines. Based on a 1987 survey in Phytotherapy Research, the Japanese held more than half of the new patents on natural products. Unfortunately, most American medicinal plants have yet to be thoroughly investigated in terms of pharmacology and chemistry, much less through clinical trials in humans. Those that have been extensively studied in

recent years have mostly been probed by European or Asian - j | researchers. Little work is performed on American medicinal plants by American researchers, while virtually all other industri- Ji 4

alized, technologically advanced societies intensively investigate I /

their native medicinal flora. AX 'if? vww- A IViuch scientific research has also been conducted in devel- oping countries where traditional medicine systems, some thousands of years old, are still an integral part of health care IL systems. China and India are prime examples. Although these 'l countries may be called "developing" countries in terms of their economic and technical systems, the more than five- thousand-year-old traditions of tradition Chinese medicine, and of ayurveda in India, represent highl eveloped e a <7 systems that are constantly being vindic a enha modern research. Their experience and v r ( \ our study of American medical otany. A

The economic and beneficial hi\f6 4 vi e indication of their potential futur as a sense of the human relationshi t&_ie

_ l e N t I < x{ alL j5 ,1~l to g o . O K t M6*

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