Herbal Remedies from Tribes Still Involve Science

Quinine comes from an infusion of the bark of a particular tree from the Amazon rain forest. How did pre-modern people ever discover that a tea made from this tree, of all the plants in the forest, would relieve the symptoms of malaria? They must have tried every tree and every plant - roots, stems, bark, leaves - tried chewing on them, mashing them up, making an infusion. This constitutes a massive set of scientific experiments continuing over generations, experiments that moreover could not be duplicated today for reasons of medical ethics. Think of how many bark infusions from other trees must have been useless, or made the patient retch or even die. In such a case, the healer chalks these potential medicines off the list, and moves on to the next. The data of ethnopharmacology may not be systematically or even consciously acquired. By trial and error, though, and carefully remembering what worked, eventually they get there - using the rich molecular riches in the plant kingdom to accumulate a pharmacopoeia that works. Absolutely essential, life-saving information can be acquired from folk medicine and in no other way. We should be doing much more than we are to mine the treasures in such folk knowledge worldwide.

Notes:

The experimental method was there, even if they did not know they were using it.

Folksonomies: scientific method folk medicine

Taxonomies:
/science (0.428521)
/health and fitness/alternative medicine/herbs for health (0.371311)
/food and drink/beverages/non alcoholic beverages/coffee and tea (0.343261)

Keywords:
Amazon rain forest (0.976589 (negative:-0.345627)), rich molecular riches (0.876260 (positive:0.418591)), folk knowledge worldwide (0.846475 (positive:0.248569)), bark infusions (0.745102 (negative:-0.618779)), tried chewing (0.723060 (negative:-0.454937)), pre-modern people (0.696220 (neutral:0.000000)), Involve Science (0.695850 (neutral:0.000000)), healer chalks (0.688375 (neutral:0.000000)), Herbal Remedies (0.687378 (neutral:0.000000)), experimental method (0.671951 (neutral:0.000000)), particular tree (0.653682 (negative:-0.345627)), life-saving information (0.648479 (neutral:0.000000)), scientific experiments (0.646529 (neutral:0.000000)), massive set (0.640791 (neutral:0.000000)), potential medicines (0.628817 (neutral:0.000000)), medical ethics (0.623566 (neutral:0.000000)), patient retch (0.617646 (negative:-0.635262)), folk medicine (0.600199 (neutral:0.000000)), plant kingdom (0.590446 (positive:0.418591)), pharmacopoeia (0.406901 (positive:0.418590)), ethnopharmacology (0.401121 (neutral:0.000000)), malaria (0.377578 (negative:-0.561801)), Tribes (0.372930 (neutral:0.000000)), generations (0.365344 (neutral:0.000000)), treasures (0.362390 (positive:0.248569)), moves (0.361357 (neutral:0.000000)), error (0.360398 (negative:-0.465442)), tea (0.359626 (neutral:0.000000)), reasons (0.359411 (neutral:0.000000)), roots (0.357142 (neutral:0.000000))

Entities:
Amazon rain forest:FieldTerminology (0.886658 (negative:-0.345627)), Quinine:Drug (0.543951 (negative:-0.345627)), malaria:HealthCondition (0.477085 (negative:-0.561801))

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Sagan , Carl and Druyan , Ann (1997-02-25), The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, Ballantine Books, Retrieved on 2011-05-04

Folksonomies: science empiricism rationalism