Medicine that's not spoken about by Justin

Medicine that's not spoken about by Justin - July 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I was to give a TED talk I would explain plants, and the medicinal benefits that come from them. There is no denying the pharmaceutical usage of plants to treat an array of conditions. Studying this topic is also my main career interest. I myself, have already found plants that withhold beneficial compounds to aid certain conditions. The realization of medical treatments plants withhold can benefit society.
However, there is a big issue when it comes to plants that are beneficial to humans; this concerns the pharmaceutical industry. I'm not completely blaming the pharmaceutical industry by the fact the majority of the population does not have beneficial medicine, they do. The concern I have is that the pharmaceutical industry treats patients instead of curing them. There is a few reasons that this is so. The main reason we don't have these cures accessible to us is because of the high cost in research. The huge research price used on a certain natural product may not even do anything. If there were cures found, which there is many, the pharmaceutical industry would be losing business. Money is required to fill prescription bottles monthly, with cures this money will only come once. People even die from these prescription medications, or their personality is completely changed. This is a fact that is caused by substance abuse. Addictive chemicals are present inside of these pills. The chemicals in plants are used for certain prescription medications; opioids take the opium from Papaver somniferum and add other chemicals to the pills. There are alkaloids present, and added chemicals that harm the body in many medications. Even if abuse doesn't occur, long term usage is damaging.
This will bring me onto the next subject, medicinal plants. Of course many individuals don’t have the time to find cures themselves, we all have jobs. However, there are research scientists who work around this natural cure subject. I have done research in my free time which included several scenarios and a bit of web research beforehand. I think all would be shocked if I said "medicine grows next to you", but for certain conditions this may be the case. There is a certain plant that is widely abundant in my area called Bidens alba. This was at first known as a noxious weed to me, but the weed turned out to be a cure for skin irritation after conducting several successful experiments. There is also a plant extract that feels just like the hot in Icy Hot; the extract was from Piper nigrum, and was a an anti-inflammatory when applied topically. Brewing tea can even help aid in certain issues. If you want to lose weight you drink green tea; along with green tea you have to cut down the calories and exercise. If you want to help reduce pain, exercise is also a very good way to do this; when you exercise your body naturally produces endorphins. From certain conditions you will need to aid yourself in that natural cure pathway, this is why natural cures are not looked at primarily.
Many plants noted as noxious weeds will cure various conditions one has. Plantago major, Schinus terebinthifolius, Passiflora incarnata, and many more herbs grow right around me. These can aid as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and minor sedative. Some of these even hold what is known as essential oils. Pharmaceutical companies obtain various phytochemicals by essential oils. Eugenol in cloves is a widespread chemical used in dentistry and is numbing when taken orally. This is what is swabbed on the patients gums. From essential oils we even get the smells that are in expensive perfume. The essential oils is why the perfume is marketed so high because how concentrated essential oils are. Some essential oils have even been found to reduce cancers. This was a big topic for me because I lost my sister to cancer. I know there are plenty of cancer cures out there; I want to find them to save these patients.
Plenty of plants withhold a vast array of usages. These all could be used to benefit an individual. There are regulations in the pharmaceutical industry that make it hard to start "curing" people with botanically pure products. Together people can stop this strict regulation and have essential oils and botanical extracts looked into as an alternative. People themselves also need to cooperate with natural treatments to benefit the most; this would mean to remove the stimuli of which causes the problem. All the explained topics are examples of homeopathic medicine. We the people can make the change with teamwork and determination.