Deadly flowers could help create new medicines
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The world is full of amazing natural medicines. However, many species of flowers can poison and kill people. Researchers in the USA and Czechia have found that two very poisonous plants could be used to make new medicines. The scientists conducted research on two flowers: wolfsbane and larkspur. Wolfsbane can cause death from respiratory paralysis or heart failure. "Biohacking" of the plants' chemical makeup could create valuable medicines.
The researchers recreated the toxic compounds from the plants. One researcher said knowing how to create them could provide totally new ways of testing. They could reduce pain, treat malaria and cancer, and kill pests. A biochemist said: "Plants are the best chemists around, upgrading their… natural compounds over millions of years to help them survive." Another researcher said many of today's medicines come directly from plants.
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