Development and use of drugs
Accidental discovery
Penicillin
How common is the use of traditional medicines?
Very common.
Describe examples of aspirin
- Ibuprofen
- Codeine
- Hydrocodone
Observation of wildlife
- Bears and monkeys use citrus oils and insecticides
- Birds line their nests with medicinal leaves to keep blood-sucking mites away
Further plant research
- Observing how a plant behaves or influences something that is harmful to humans
- Isolate an active ingredient
- Optimise a dose of the active ingredient and a delivery method to use as treatment
Research into disease-causing mechanisms