The Chelsea Physic

Garden has cultivated

medicinal plants since 1673.

Thousands of years ago , the ancient Egyptians discovered simple ways to extract the active ingredients within plants .Egyptian papyrus manuscripts from 2000B.C. record the use of perfumes ,oils, aromatic oil and gums in the embalming processes . In ancient Greece N the 4th and 5th centuries BC , Hippocrates the father of medicine was already recommending Asparagus and garlic for their diuretic qualities ,poppy for inducing sleep and willow leaves to relieve pain and fever. in the 1st century AD Greek doctor Dioscorides established .

The first collections of medical plants has treatise was translated into Arabica and Persian. Centuries later his work was used by the Muslim scholars who influenced great university Particularly at Montpellier Europe's most famous centre for the study botany. In the last 1700s, Carl Wilheim Scheele , a gifted Swedish chemist , obtained tartaric acid from grapes , citric acidFrom lemons and malice acid from apples .His technique and of others led to the isolation Of the first purified compounds from plants that could be used as drugs.

gfgfgfgfgfgfgfg

Alfalfa Medic ago sativa, alsocalled Lucerne, isa perennial flowering plant in thepea family Fabaceae cultivated asan important forage crop in manycountries around the world. TheEnglish name alfalfa is widelyused, particularly in NorthAmerica. But in the UK, Australia,South Africa and New Zealand,the more commonly used name isLucerne. It superficially resemblesclover with clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiraled in 2 to 3 turns containing 10-20 seeds

Useful Parts of the Plant ;

lifespan that varies from four years to over

twenty years. Most

when grown

alongside other plants and crops. This is one of the

have its roots growing up to almost thirty

feet into the ground and

not usually

available at the surface. The plant is known to regrow

However, along with the numerous benefits of alfalfa, like all other herbal products, this plant should also be consumed with care taking into consideration any possible known side effects. One such side effect of the alfalfa plant is that the amino acids that are found in alfalfa may actually worsen the disease lupus.

Aloin, A compound found in the exudates of some aloe species, was

the common ingredient in over the counter laxative products in the

united states prior to 2003, when the food and drugs

administration ruled that aloin was A class III ingredient, thereby

banning its use. aloe Vera has Potential toxicity, with side

effect occurring at some dose levels both when ingested and applied

topically. although toxicity may be less when alone is removed by

processing, aloe Vera that contains aloin in excess amounts may

induce side-effects. A 2-year national toxicology program study on

oral consumption of non-decolorized whole leaf extract of aloe

Vera found evidence of carcinogenic activity in male and female rats.

The ntp says more information is needed to determine the potential

risks to humans

Blueberries are perennial flower

ing plants with indigo-colored

berries

the section Cyanococcus within

the genus Vaccinium (a genus

that also

includes cranberries and bilberr

ies). Species in the

section Cyanococcus are the

most common. fruits sold as

"blueberries" and are native

to North America (commercially

cultivated high bush blueberries

were not introduced into Europe

until the 1930s).

[

[]