Medicinal Plant
A plant that people use to make medicine or treat illnesses.
What is it?
Medicinal plants are plants that contain chemicals that can help heal the body. For example, the Madagascar periwinkle produces alkaloids used in cancer treatment. Willow bark contains salicin, which is used to make aspirin. Many traditional medicines around the world come from plants.
Why it matters
Medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years and are the source of many modern drugs. Protecting plant biodiversity is important because we might discover new medicines from plants we haven't studied yet.
Where you've seen it
This list grows as you capture more medicinal plants.
