lecture 2 notes

What is traditional medicine made from?

Traditional medicine is made from plants and other biological materials.

What are primary and secondary metabolites?

They are natural compounds found in traditional medicine that can elicit biological responses.

How can compounds within natural products interact?

Compounds can work together to produce a synergistic response or against each other in an antagonistic manner.

What is ethnopharmacology?

Ethnopharmacology is the interdisciplinary field that serves as a bridge between traditional practices and modern medicines, involving botany, chemistry, and pharmacology.

What is the aim of ethnopharmacology?

The aim of ethnopharmacology is to ensure efficacy, quality, and safety in medicinal practices.

What is the first step in drug discovery?

In drug discovery, individual compounds within natural products are separated and identified by their chemical features.

What role does biological screening play in drug discovery?

Biological screening is used to identify drugs with desirable activities.

What is opium and what natural alkaloid does it contain?

Opium contains several natural alkaloids, including morphine.

What was significant about morphine's potency?

Morphine is ten times more powerful than processed opium, indicating antagonistic interactions among opium's molecules.

What is Rongoā Māori?

Rongoā Māori is a traditional healing system specific to New Zealand that uses plant-derived medicines.

Why is identification of plants essential in Rongoā Māori?

Identification is crucial because using the wrong plants can cause harm.

What conditions are necessary for harvesting Rongoā rakau?

Harvesting only occurs when both the environment and harvesters are in an optimal state.

Who owns drugs derived from traditional medicines?

Indigenous populations either own or act as guardians of the natural resources used in traditional medicines.

What is the role of patent law regarding traditional knowledge?

Patent law rewards inventors for creative actions, often neglecting the rights of property and knowledge owners.