Tag: Plant based medicine

Approximately 25% of all prescriptions dispensed in the United States contain active ingredients extracted from higher plants [1.2.3]. A classic answer to **What is an example of a natural drug?** is morphine, a potent pain reliever derived directly from the opium poppy [1.4.3].

While all parts of the common foxglove are highly poisonous, the plant's leaves are the source of the medicinal compounds known as cardiac glycosides. The answer to what part of foxglove is medicinal lies in this potent, though dangerous, foliage, which has been used for centuries to treat heart conditions under strict medical guidance.