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Chapter 3 Living Resources. Section 4 Search for New Medicines Notes 3-4. Plants and Medicines. Plants have the ability to heal and fight disease Moss can be used on cuts or wounds to heal Bark of the willow tree was once used to make aspirin
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Chapter 3Living Resources Section 4 Search for New Medicines Notes 3-4
Plants and Medicines • Plants have the ability to heal and fight disease • Moss can be used on cuts or wounds to heal • Bark of the willow tree was once used to make aspirin • Results from the plants ability to adapt to their environment • Produce chemicals to protect them • Some can be used also to help us
Taxol • Pacific yew tree is resistant to disease and insects • As scientist studied it to determine why, they found crystals in its bark • Crystals are made from a chemical called taxol • This protects the tree from disease and insects
Taxol • This substance causes cancer cells to stop dividing • Usually cancer cells divide and spread quickly • Taxol builds a cage around the cell to prevent it from dividing • Now used to treat cancer patients • Stopped cancer from spreading • Caused tumors to decrease in size
Threatened Supply of Taxol • It takes bark from 3 Pacific yew trees to make enough taxol for one cancer patient. • Scientists are concerned that the Pacific yew tree is becoming threatened • Taxol is a complex chemical • It was not synthesized until 1996 • Hopefully it will help save the Pacific yew tree
Biodiversity and Medicine • Almost half of the medicines used today have an origin in nature. • Not all species of plants and animals have been found yet • There may still be cures out there • American Medical Association asked for protection of earth’s biodiversity • Hopefully it will help save any cures yet to be found