A very common sight in the rural areas is a dog munching on leaves and shrubs and then throwing up the whole thing. Not a very pleasurable view, but it's a proof that even animals are aware of the healing qualities of herbs, which are nothing but plants with rich deposits of secondary metabolites, such as tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, bio-flavonoid etc., or broadly, the phytochemicals. These are what that impart antiviral, antibacterial, antimycotic and anthelmintic properties to the herbs.

There are some herbs that may comprise toxins; such as the leaves and shoots of eucalyptus is dangerous to most animals, which makes them unsafe for ingestion. When processed these toxic herbs are weakened enough for the bodily systems to tolerate them but they still remain potent enough to fight the disorders. When chemical methods determine this threshold, a prescription drug derived from the specific herb(s) is born.

The chief difference between a pure herbal medicine and a pharmaceutical product is that when treating with herbs, no particular phytochemicals are isolated and put into use. Whereas in a pharmaceutical medicine, it is the single ingredient set to a properly quantified dosage that cures. Therefore, herbal synergism is often duplicated with lab-invented chemicals. However, many herbalists may oppose this theory; according to them, a natural product cannot be duplicated or mixed with herbal extracts, but modern researches have also proved that pharmaceuticals bring better results when it is an emergency situation. They are better than herbs when it is absolutely necessary to chase a symptom off before a complete healing course is set.

Thus came up another set of pharmaceuticals with an even combination of chemicals and herbs; while the chemical restores the normality, the herb strengthens from within. In a broader sense, we may also call this category as herb-derived prescription medicines and the best part is that some of these herbs the medicines are derived from can be grown in the home herb gardens.

Now, let's have a look at such a few prescription drugs, which duplicate the effects of the natural herbs:

·Aspirin: The acetylated derivative of salicylic acid; used as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic; slows clotting of the blood by poisoning platelets. The same effects are noticed in the white willow bark and meadow sweet plant.

· Atropine: A poisonous crystalline alkaloid extracted from the nightshade family (belladonna); used as an antispasmodic and to dilate the eye pupil; also administered in large amounts as an antidote for organophosphate nerve agents or organophosphate insecticides. Extensively used for treating arrhythmia, that is, abnormal rate of cardiac muscle contractions.

· Colchicines: Colchicum, such as autumn crocus, is a fall-blooming perennial herb with a solid, swollen underground bulb-shaped stem. The analgesic drug derived from it is used to treat gout.

· Digoxin: A digitalis or powerful cardiac stimulant obtained from foxglove under the trade name Lanoxin and used to treat congestive heart failure or cardiac arrhythmia. It helps the heart beat more forcefully.

· Ephedrine: White odorless powdered or crystalline alkaloid from plants of the genus Ephedra, especially Ephedra sinica or made synthetically; is used as a bronchodilator to treat bronchitis and asthma.

The list may stretch to a large number of other such pharmaceuticals copying the effects of herbs including morphine and codeine, which are potent narcotics derived from the opium poppy or the yew tree resembling Paclitaxel for treating and curing metastatic ovarian cancer. Even Quinine; this drug for malaria was made from the cinchona bark and should we mention two more widely available herb derived prescription drugs, they got to be Vinblastine and Vincristine, the antineoplastic drug, derived from the Periwinkle plant for disrupting uncontrolled cell division.