ABSTRACT
Plants are an integral part of all the living organisms of planet Earth because they provide food, clean air, medicines, clothing, shade, and shelter. Further, they preserve our ecosystem by moderating natural calamities such as ¡oods, droughts, and soil erosion. Since time immemorial, all living creatures coevolved in a symbiotic manner. Our early ancestors selected and initiated cultivation of plants based on their needs. As population grew, diseases evolved. Our early ancestors identi-’ed certain plants, by trial and error, for the healing of various ailments. These individuals were considered medicine men or medicine women. The knowledge was transferred from generation to generation through the word of mouth or preserved in epics of poems or stories. These medicines are now known as prehistoric medicines because they were identi’ed prior to recorded history.
