LEARNING ACTIVITY 3
Many plants and other organisms are used to treat illnesses. Fill in the following blanks to
identify the given organisms and their significance in health and medicine. You may read pages
149-150 from your STS textbook or any resources that you prefer.
TERMS
1. Alhagi maurorum
2. Cinchona succirubra Pav.
Ex Klotzsch
3. Commiphora myrrha
4. Cupressus sempervirens
5. Digitalis purpurea
6. Ligusticum scoticum
SIGNIFICANCE
It is used in folk medicine, as a purgative, diaphoretic, expectorant and
diuretic used to treat piles, migraine, warts and rheumatism. The reviewed
information suggests that the plant has got enormous scope for
phytochemical and pharmacological studies to substantiate its therapeutic
potential.
 It is used for increasing appetite; promoting the release of digestive juices;
and treating bloating, fullness, and other stomach problems. It is also used
for blood vessel disorders including hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and
leg cramps. Some people use cinchona for mild influenza, swine flu,
the common cold, malaria, and fever. Other uses are for cancer, mouth and
throat diseases, enlarged spleen, and muscle cramps.
Commiphora myrrha is used for indigestion, ulcers, colds, cough, asthma,
lung congestion, arthritis pain, cancer, leprosy, spasms, and syphilis. It is
also used as a stimulant and to increase menstrual flow. It can help also to
decrease swelling (inflammation) and kill bacteria.
Cupressus sempervirens L. (Cupressaceae), known as Mediterranean
cypress, is a medicinal and aromatic plant with decorative uses. It is widely
distributed throughout the Mediterranean region, including Syria, Turkey,
Cyprus, Lebanon, Palestine, and some Greek Islands, as well as the
southern coasts of the Caspian Sea in Iran. The plant has a long history of
utilization in folk medicine in many countries, mainly for cough and flu
treatment, and the research has consistently shown that C.
sempervirens has antimicrobial, antiviral, insecticidal, antihyperlipidemic,
cytotoxic, antioxidant, antiplatelet, hepatoprotective, and neurobiological
activities to varying extents. 
Digitalis purpurea also known as foxglove, are used to make a prescription
drug called digoxin. Digitalis lanata is the major source of digoxin in the US.
Foxglove is most commonly used for heart failure and fluid build up in the
body (congestive heart failure or CHF) and irregular heartbeat (atrial
fibrillation).
The root of Ligusticum scoticum is aromatic and carminative. It is used in
the treatment of hysterical and uterine disorders. The seeds are sweetly
 aromatic and have been used as a carminative, deodorant and stimulant.
They are also sometimes used for flavouring other herbal remedies.

7. Papaver somniferum Papaver somniferum(Opium Poppy), have been prescribed for pain relief,
cough control, and diarrhea treatment (Lasagna, 1964). The most
important use medically for opium, in place of the pure alkaloids, is for
the effects on the gastro-intestinal tract.

8. Pilocarpus Pilacarpus used to lower intraocular pressure in primary open-angle

glaucoma (also called chronic simple or wide-angle glaucoma), as an
adjunct to a topical β-blocker; it produces miosis, opens drainage channels
in the trabecular network and improves the outflow of aqueous humour.

9. Salix Salix plants have been used medicinally since antiquity and have been
linked to the discovery of acetylsalicylic acid and aspirin. These plants had
been traditionally used to treat painful musculoskeletal joint pain
conditions, inflammation, and fever. Salicin is a major pharmacologically
active metabolite in Salix and hydrolyzes in the gastrointestinal tract to
confer salicyl alcohol and d-glucose.

10. Salvia apiana
An infusion of the leaves is used as a blood tonic and as a treatment for
coughs and colds. The leaves can be eaten, or used as a sweat bath, in the
treatment of colds. The seeds have been used as eye cleaners. However, the
seed has been placed in the eye, it then forms a gelatinous covering to
which any foreign matter in the eye adheres. The seed is washed out of the
eye by the eye’s own tears.

2. What three realizations did you have after reading the article? State your answer in the
following manner: Before reading the article I thought… However after reading, I can now
say that I learned…

1.) Before reading the article, I thought achieving the goal of biodiversity conservation and food
security is just by protecting our ecosystem. However, after reading, I can now say that I learned
to have more integrated and need inclusive approaches to be more actively pursued the goal.

2.) Before reading the article, I thought the causes of food insecurity are due to limits of
agricultural production. However, after reading, I can now say that the causes of it was rooted in
political, social, and economic influences.

3.) Before reading the article, I don’t have enough knowledge about food security. However,
after reading, I can now say that I learned a lot about food security where it is existing when
people achieve a healthy and active life by meeting their nutritional needs.
3. What three things are still unclear to you after reading the article?
1. The concept of gender inequity.
2. Tenure rights in agricultural landscapes.
3. Why is biofuel production does not improve energy security?