Top 3 Medicinal Plants

Life-Saving Treatments Derived From Plants

Did you know that some of the medicines you’re taking and that have saved the lives of many people come from plants? Today, we will discuss some medicinal plants that are a big part of our treatments. Aspirin is one of the common medications that has been in use for pain relief for over 3500 years. The active ingredient, salicin, in aspirin comes from the bark of a tree known as willow. Aspirin not only relieves pain but also helps prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing blood clots. Next on the list is your medicine, digoxin. It is used to treat heart failure and irregular heartbeats, helping your heart pump more effectively. Digoxin is made from a foxglove plant, which looks like a beautiful garden flower. You’d be surprised to know that one of the most commonly used cancer chemotherapy vincristine and vinblastine for leukemia, also comes from the periwinkle plant. This amazing chemotherapy has dramatically increased survival in many patients. Another chemotherapy drug that is used to treat breast, lung, and ovarian cancer is called paclitaxel, and it comes from a tree called yew. The paclitaxel stops cancer cells from growing and spreading, making it one of the most important cancer treatments available.