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Student Voices | Plant Evolution in Medicine

When you hear the word medicine, what do you think of? Do you think of tiny little capsules or pills? Normally, most people don’t think much beyond that, but medicine is much more than just a capsule full of a powder – it has taken millions of years evolution to get there. In this featured Student Voices Blog, student Keira Buss, a freshman at New Technology High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, explores the origins of medicine.
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Humans have been using plants for their medicinal properties for many years. According to The U.S. Forest Service, evidence exists that plants were used for medicinal purposes some 60,000 years ago. A burial site of a Neanderthal man was uncovered in 1960 and eight species of plants had been buried with him, some of which are still used for medicinal purposes today.

A lot of the medicines we know and use today have been derived from plants. Some are believed to be a cure-all, like chamomile, which can be used for many things. Some of its uses include healing skin irritations from cancer treatments, treating inflammation, and reducing swelling. Other plants, like Feverfew, can be used for treating migraines.  Aspirin, commonly used to reduce pain and fevers, was once made from the bark of willow trees! In fact, plants like willow trees have gone through millions of years of evolution. 

Over time, humans started finding more uses for these plants, so they were picked and used more frequently. In response to being over picked, the plants evolved to become more difficult for humans to harvest. Fritillaria delavayi, used to treat coughs, has evolved to be more hidden in the rocks where it lays in the Himalayan and Hengduan Mountains. In areas where the plant has not been picked as much, it has a light, lime green color; in the areas where it is picked often, they have developed a gray color, which makes them harder to see in the rocks. Humans have caused a shift in the gene pool!

How does all of this happen? Darwin’s theory of natural selection (evolution) says that organisms that are more fit have more offspring that are able to survive. The offspring that are better able to survive will pass on their genes, and the cycle continues. Most plants have gone through some sort of evolution. Some have gained changes in looks, some have gained changes in habitat, and some have gained medicinal properties. We can thank this process for the plant-derived medicines we have today.

This blog article was written by Keira Buss, a freshman at New Technology High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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