Did You Know Most Traditional Medicine is Derived from Plants?

Aspirin, Antibiotics, Morphine and even Chemotherapy: the essential medicines powered by plants!

Herbal remedies and traditional medicines are used by millions of people around the world. Chamomile can make us feel soothed and relaxed, while ginger can boost digestion and echinacea is thought to support the immune system. Medicinal herbs, leaves and roots are used to prevent and treat common ailments from colds and anxiety to nausea and skin ailments.

Plants could also contribute to end-of-life care in the future. Medicinal herbs are being studied that could support patients with Parkinson's disease, a brain disorder that affects upwards of 10 million people.

Morphine, a strong painkiller commonly prescribed after surgery or for broken bones, is an extract of the opium poppy that, today, is synthesised in labs.

Penicillin, Lovastatin, and Cyclosporine are medicines from fungi.

When it comes to treating cancer and its symptoms, the natural world has given us dozens of helpful ingredients that could help save millions of lives.

The humble aspirin is a modern miracle medicine and one of the most widely used drugs in the world. It's extracted from the bark of the willow tree

Childhood leukaemia is treated with drugs derived from the Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus, a decorative herb native to the island of Madagascar.