A haven for plants
The Chelsea Physic Garden
The garden dates back to 1673 when it was set up to train apprentice apothecaries to identify the plants which are an important source of medicines. Today the garden continues to educate but now its audience is members of the public interested in natural medicine.
The herb and medicinal plant collection
The pharmaceutical garden displays plants which are sources of important drugs used in medical care in the UK and all over the World.
Examples include:
(1) Catharansus roseus - alkaloids from the Madagascar periwinkle include vinblastine and vincristine. These chemicals are used to treat cancer.
(2) Atropa belladonna (see black fruits below) - ophthalmic surgeons use atropine from Deadly Nightshade to dilate the pupil in a patent's eye so that they can access the back of the eye.
Nearby are beds featuring a wider range of plants used medically in different cultures.
Plants under threat
The garden holds a number of rare and endangered species from Crete and the Atlantic islands of Madeira and the Canary Islands. A collection of plants from the Canary Islands grows along the warmest wall of the garden. These are plants which are under threat of extinction in the wild.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 20 January 2007
