Issues
One major issue associated with cancer treatment with plants is biopiracy. Biopiracy is a term used to describe the legal practice by large pharmaceutical companies of exploring the medicine of traditional peoples. Many drugs have been derived from plants used throughout history by healers in different cultures. A lot was learned from traditional medicine but some companies may be going too far. Instead of working with the companies in which the traditional remedy is being discovered, some companies are using the hit and run technique and taking away the plant for investigation. If the plant proves to be effective, nothing is being put back into the traditional community. Many people think this is wrong and that pharmaceudical companies should work with traditional healers and their governments in the country of origin in order to give some profit back to the people who have discovered the treatment in the first place.  |
  Another issue concerning the use of plants is conservation. Experts estimate that we are loosing 137 plant species every single day due to deforestration. A lot of these plants are used in medicine. Some of the plants needed for medical reason are extremely rare plants that can disappear from the face of the earth forever unless preserved. 25% of pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less than 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. Yew trees are on the edge of becoming extinct because of their amazing contribution to cancer treatment drugs. Many plants have made a huge contribution to medicine; however, if they are not preserved, they can become extinct. |
