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Common
Weeds Have Healing Powers
(HealthScout)
-- The cure for what ails you may be found in your own back yard,
new research shows.
While studying
the Highland Maya of Chiapas, Mexico, scientists found common
weeds that grow in old fields and by the side of the road are
used to treat many ailments, including gastrointestinal distress,
motion sickness, respiratory illnesses, skin conditions and even
mental disorders.
"Our study
looked at all the medicinal plants that were utilized by the Highland
Maya, and what turned up was that the vast majority of the plants
used for healing grew in disturbed habitats and most were weeds,"
says John Stepp, one of the study's authors.
It just makes
sense, says Stepp, that people would use the plants close at hand
for healing, rather than travel miles for more exotic plants such
as those found in a rain forest.
Stepp and
his colleagues at the University of Georgia studied more than
200 people in six different communities in Chiapas to learn what
plants they used to treat various illnesses. The researchers learned
the Highland Maya don't grow their own medicinal plants; they
simply find them growing in the wild when they need them.
Stepp found
that the Maya use 103 different plant species for healing, and
35 of those are considered weeds. Normally, you would expect to
find only 13 species of weeds in such a sample.
Results of
the study are published in the current issue of the Journal
of Ethnopharmacology.
Many cultures
still use plants as medicine, though the idea is largely foreign
to Western culture. Stepp says even though these plants may be
useful in treating the Mayans, they won't necessarily be developed
into drugs in the near future.
"It's a long
way from finding an effective medicinal plant to developing a
pharmaceutical," he says. But he points out that scientists should
consider the medicinal value of common weeds and plants, rather
than just looking for medications deep in the rain forest.
One expert
says this study is just the beginning.
"We have only
just begun to explore the infinite possibilities of potentially
beneficial plant chemicals that are around us: weeds, flowers,
plants, bushes, leaves. It will take decades of research, and
an open mind and lots of money, to find these wonderful botanical
substances," says Dr. Ray Sahelian, author of several books on
medicinal herbs, including Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural
Supplements that Improve Your Mind, Memory and Mood.
To
learn more about how plants are used as medicine, read this article
from
UCLA or this one from
Harvard University.
Reference
Source 101
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