Chapter 1: Plant Form and Function

Medicinal Plant

Plants used to prevent, relieve, or treat disease/symptoms'

-Provide chemical blueprints or active ingredients for a vast array of modern medicines.

Whole Plants v. Plant parts v Extracts

Whole Plants: use entire botanical material

Plant parts: Target individual organs like roots or leaves

Extracts: concentrate active compounds using solvents

Traditional Medicine

Ancestral, whole plant practices passed down thrown generations, experience based system (ex. traditional Chinese medicine)

Modern Herbal Medicine

uses science and clinical tests to isolate active ingredients and verify safety

Plants are chemically complex mixtures that contain

hundreds of thousands of distinct chemical compounds working together for survival, growth, and defense.

Metabolites

small molecules made or used when living things break down food, drugs, chemicals, or their own tissue during metabolism.

Why do plants make medicine

Plants cannot escape predators, pathogens, or environmental stress. Medicinal compounds evolved for plant functions.

-They produce chemical defense, attraction pollinators, and have protection from UV

Medicinal Compounds are found in

Leaves, Bark, Roots/rhizomes, Flowers/fruits/seeds

Leaves medicinal compounds

essential oils, phenolics, alkaloids

Bark medicinal compounds

tannins, alkaloids, glycosides

Roots/rhizomes medicinal compounds

storage compounds and secondary metabolites

Flower/fruits/seeds medicinal compounds

pigments, oils, volatile compounds

3 Basic Plant Organs

Roots, stems, leaves

Root

Organ that anchors the plant, absorbs minerals and water, and stores carbohydrates (ex. taproot)

Stem

alternating system of nodes, the points at which leaves are attached. Apical(Terminal Buds) and Axillary Buds.

Tree Bark

Bark is protective tissue, protects the vascular tissues from herbivores, pathogens, physical damage, and water loss

-medicinal compounds: phenolics, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, and terpenoids/volatile compounds.

Leaves

The main photosynthetic organ, intercept light, exchange gases, dissipate heat, and defend the plant from herbivores and pathogens.

Flowers

Specialized part of an angiospermous plant that occurs singly or in clusters, possesses colorful petals or sepals, and the reproductive structures (such as stamens or pistils) involved in the development of seeds and fruit.

Seeds

the embryonic stage of the plant life cycle. consist of embryo, endosperm, and sperm coat

Fungi

seperate biological kindgom of living organisms. eukaryotes, no photosynthesis, chitin cell walls

external digestion: they absorb nutrients from their surroundings by releasing digestive enzymes onto organic matter

Toxic plants

plant secondary metabolites function partly as chemical defenses for the plant and are harmful to humans (ex. posion hemlock)

Drug interactions

herbal products can increase, decrease, or alter effects of conventional medications

Elderberry

ripe, properly prepared fruit is consumed, while leaves, stems, and unripe fruit contain higher concentrations of potentially harmful cyanogenic glycosides

St. Johns wort (hypericum perforatum)

Induces CYP enzymes and P-glycoprotein lowering concentrations of many drugs, including oral contraceptives, immunosuppressants, and antiretrovirals

Ginkgo (ginkgo biloba)

May increase bleeding risk when combined with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.