Questão de Inglês — Significado de Palavras e Expressões (Sinônimos, Antônimos, Parônimos, Denotação, Conotação, etc.) — FEPESE 2023

Endangered plants and Medicine

Marlene Blau points to a small white flower in the forest near her home. “That’s goldenseal,” she says. “And it helps with all kinds of illnesses. Too bad it’s in danger of extinction.” Blau, who works with a medicinal plant protection group in the northeastern United States, explains that goldenseal has been overharvested in the past 20 years. The plants are picked or transplanted without being replaced.

Goldenseal isn’t the only endangered plant species. Plenty of other plants, in the US and around the world, are endangered or near extinction. Environmental advisor Tim Gaisford explains, “There are amazing possibilities in plants. For centuries, people have used them in health care. But I wonder whether we can continue using them at this rate, now that there are seven billion people on this planet. Something has to give.”

According_____ the World Health Organization, around 80 percent_____ the world’s population uses plants as its primary source of health care. China and India, for example, have a long history of using plants as the basis_____ their traditional remedies. But as these traditional remedies gain popularity____ the developed world, the plants these remedies are based_______ are in trouble.

Adding to the problem is the fact that many prescription drugs contain compounds found in plants. For example, aspirin is derived from willow bark. Quinine, used to treat malaria, is derived from the cinchona tree. Over sixty percent of cancer drugs are derived from naturally-occurring products. Poorlyplanned harvesting of these plants, together with extensive habitat loss every year, puts a lot of stress on the environment.

Gaisford said, “I pride myself on a few things. For example, I’ve spent a lot of time advising industries on how to preserve the plants they use. We’ve persuaded some to open sanctuaries for endangered plants, and advised others to develop sustainable methods of harvesting medicinal herbs. We’ve also asked them to use organic farming methods. I’m worried, but not completely discouraged. The more popular plants become, the more they’ll be taken care of, too.”

Marlene Blau insists that solutions also need to come from the consumers themselves. “When you buy an alternative medicine, look at the label. Ask where it came from, and if the manufacturer used sustainable methods to harvest the plant.” Most of all, remember: just because a natural remedy is good for you doesn’t mean it’s good for nature.