Unit 14 Herbal Medicine: Past and Present ชื่อ-นามสกุล _________________________________ ชั้น ___เลขที่ ___

• What is “herbalism”? ________________________________________________________________________________

• According to the passage, which parts of a plant can be used? ___________________________________________________
• How can we know for sure that human used plants as medicine in the past? _________________________________________
• How many herbs are mentioned in the passage and what are they? ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Herbalism is the practice of using plants or parts of plants as medicine. It is used to treat illnesses, relieve pain, and maintain health.
Herbal medicines can contain many different parts of a plant. Leaves, flowers, stems, berries, and roots of herbs are used. Their power
comes from secondary metabolites found in plants. Primary metabolites are responsible for a plant’s growth, development, and
reproduction. Secondary metabolites defend the plant against harmful bacteria and predators. These metabolites fight human ailments
when eaten.
Herbs are still the oldest and most widely valued source for healing, even though some doctors consider herbalism to be an
experimental practice. Ancient societies used plants as medicine. Researchers do not have written records of Stone Age people saying
this. However, ancient bones appear to confirm that plants were used for healing. Small amounts of secondary metabolites inside the
bones of Stone Age skeletons have been found.
From written historical records, we know that many different cultures understood the healing power of herbs. The ancient people
of Mesopotamia and India wrote texts describing the ways they used plants for medicinal purposes. Castor oil, linseed oil, and white
poppies are just a few of the herbal medicines used by these cultures. Herbalists today continue to use many kinds of herbs to treat
illness. Marshmallow root is used to treat sore throats. People take hyacinth to lose weight, and the herb yarrow is used to reduce
symptoms of fever
 Most families in Europe during the Middle Ages grew medicinal herbs at home. Families passed down cures and practices from
generation to generation. By the seventeenth century, herbalism had spread throughout Western Europe. In 1649, the English doctor
Nicholas Culpeper wrote A Physical Directory. This was one of the first books to offer medical advice for common people. The first
directory of herbal medicine was available in the United States in 1820. The book included a long list of herbal drugs and described
their uses.
The use of herbs in the West lost favor, however, in the early twentieth century. As Western medicine grew in the nineteenth
century, the use of herbs lost popularity. Western medicine was seen as a science. The active ingredients in herbal plants were
removed to be put into medicines. Drugs containing these active ingredients replaced raw herbal drugs. One example is the opium
poppy. This plant was commonly used as a sleep drug in Victorian times. Poppy is now used to make the drugs morphine and codeine.
Herbalism has become an alternative form of medicine in the West. Now, the use of herbs is considered out of the ordinary and
unscientific by most people.
Although Western societies have seen the decline of herbal medicine, herbs are still important in traditional medical practices
around the world. The World Health Organization believes that roughly eighty percent of the world’s population rely on herbal
medicines as a source of treatment. Ayurvedic, homeopathic, Asian, and Native American medical practices all include herbalism.
Although they have lost popularity, herbal medicines are still made and sold through many stores. These herbal medicines are
available in many forms. Depending on the plant and the intended use, herbal medicines may be sold as capsules, teas, and oils.
Herbalists recommend natural herbal formulas over man-made medical drugs, even plant-based drugs. They believe that the
healing power of herbs results from the interaction of all of their ingredients. Because Western drugs contain only isolated parts of
whole herbs, they lack minerals, vitamins, oils, and other ingredients. These ingredients can support the positive effects of the herb
and mask its possible toxicity. Some herbal compounds can easily become toxic when isolated in small doses. When taken in their
natural form, however, these compounds become harmful only at very high doses.
1. Mark each statement as true (T), false (F), or inferred (I) according to the passage.
1. Approximately eighty percent of herbs are used in medicine.
2. Secondary metabolites give herbs their healing properties.
3. Using plants to relieve sickness has a long history.
4. Most herbs become poisonous if used improperly.
5. A Physical Directory included information about herbs.

2. Complete the table below to summarize the three theories of language acquisition discussed in the passage.
1. According to the passage, herbs are commonly taken in all of the 3. Why does the writer include the example of the opium poppy?
following forms EXCEPT (A) To demonstrate the difference between Western medicine and
(A) teas herbalism
(B) injections (B) To illustrate how herbalism is not a science
(C) capsules (C) To persuade the reader of the benefits of taking herbal medicine
(D) oils (D) To show that herbalism is still a component of Western medicine
2. What can be inferred from the passage about a plant’s primary
metabolites?
(A) They are used to relieve pain.
(B) They are not often used in herbal medicine.
(C) They are very popular in Western drugs.
(D) They help humans with growth and reproduction.
3. Choose the correct definition of the word in bold. 4. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the box.
1. The active ingredients in herbal plants were
predator symptom isolate traditional
removed to put into medicines.
ingredients dose alternative reproduction
(A) bright, lively colors
1. The doctor said to take one _________________ three times a day.
(B) living organisms
2. Birds and mammals both produce offspring, but they employ different forms of _____________.
(C) important and useful parts
3. While my dad enjoys unusual ice cream flavors, like coffee-banana, my mom likes
2. Herbalism became an alternative form of medicine.
_________________ flavors, such as strawberry or vanilla.
(A) second choice
4. Lions, the top _________________ of the African plains, are only hunted by man, not by other
(B) exciting option
animals.
(C) superior way
5. In order to gather accurate data, scientists must _____________ and test different variables.
3. Herbs can be sold as capsules, teas, and oils.
6. The _________________ in bread are simple: flour, yeast, salt, and water.
(A) liquids
7. Instead of going straight to university after high school, I chose an _________________ path.
(B) pills
(C) vitamins
5. Choose the correct form of the word to fill in the blanks.
1. __________, you can send a hard copy of your résumé through the mail.
(A) Alternate (B) Alternative (C) Alternating (D) Alternatively
2. Opening birthday presents after eating cake is a __________ in our family.
(A) tradition (B) traditionally (C) traditional (D) traditionalist
3. Cancer cells can __________ at a dangerously fast rate.
(A) reproduce (B) reproduced (C) reproducer (D) reproduction
4. They spent a week during the summer in an __________ cabin in the woods.
(A) isolation (B) isolated (C) isolate (D) isolator
5. Having a runny nose is a usual __________ of the common cold.
(A) symptoms (B) symptomatic (C) symptomatically (D) symptom
6. Underline the correct word or phrase in parentheses.
1. Primary metabolites found in plants ( is / are ) essential to reproduction.
2. Toxic plants found in nature ( is / are ) used in certain herbal medicines in small amounts.
3. A main ingredient of this capsule ( is / are ) garlic.
4. Many forms of herbal treatments, such as drinking tea, ( is / are ) safe even for children.
5. Acupuncture, a popular example of alternative medicine, ( is / are ) still widely used today.