Answer to Critical Thinking Activity - Chapter 10

1. It is absolutely essential that we conserve populations of medicinal plants for several reasons. The plants must be maintained as an original source of the drug they produce, even if we become able to satisfactorily synthesize it. Genetic diversity must be maintained for the health of those species. The populations must be maintained for future research.
2. Herbal medicines can be very dangerous. Standards of quality for preparations must be developed and adhered to. The safety of use, such as so-called side effects, must be researched. The effectiveness of the herbal preparation must be established.
3. The best solution to this problem is to synthesize the drug, such as is being done with Taxol.
4. One good way is to take seriously, and test scientifically, the plants that people have used medicinally from ancient times. Another is to observe, and then test scientifically, the plants that seem to benefit animals medicinally. Some very interesting examples are given in the article on the medicinal use of plants by chimpanzees in the wild.