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Dear HIW, I was wondering what herbs are used to make medicine and how?
Between 35,000 and 70,000 plant species have been investigated for their medicinal use, and scientists have made great discoveries recently, including anti-cancer drugs like paclitaxel (isolated from the Pacific yew) and camptothecin (isolated from the Camptotheca genus of trees). One of the most common medicines is aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid. Its precursor, salicylic acid, was initially extracted from the bark of willow trees. However, the medications we use today are not usually extracted from plants, but are made in laboratories instead. Replicating the medicinal compounds of plants artificially means we are able to accurately control the amount of active ingredient in medications.