“Without the potato, the balance of European In ancient cultures, medicine men used the CLOTHING
power might never have tilted north.” extracts from plant life to soothe and relieve
aches and pains. In the very beginnings of Much of our clothing comes from the plants
Importance of Plants to Man Botany, doctors in both Europe and America such as cotton, the foremost fiber used to
researched herbs in their quest to cure manufacture clothing
disease.
Humans have always used plant in one capacity
Synthetic fibers such as rayon, are produced
or another. Plants are becoming known more
Many of the plants that were discovered by from plants; the cellulose required to
and more for their vital usage in many arenas,
ancient civilizations are still in use today. The manufacture the rayon is found in the cell
including medicinal purposes.
leaves of willows, which contain a compound walls of plants
very similar to aspirin, were chewed by Native
FOOD Americans to relieve aches and pains Pineapple fiber has also been used as a
material in creating barongs and other suits.
Plants are the ultimate source of food and Most of the plants (fruits and vegetables) also
energy for nearly all animals, which cannot contains vitamins and minerals
manufacture their own food. PAPER
Medicinal plants and herbs have been used by
Three species of grasses--rice, wheat, and our Filipino forefathers for many centuries
Papyrus, a grasslike plant, was used more
corn-are the most important food plants. than four thousand years ago by Egyptians,
Examples of plants with medicinal property
to make paper. It is from this plant that
Natural food ranges from fruits and are oregano, garlic, ginger, yerba buena, and
paper has derived its name
vegetables to root crops such as potato sambong.
The Chinese, around 100AD, invented a
Although some 3,000 species of plants have method of manufacturing paper. The fibers
been used as food by humans, 90 percent of from the plant are placed in water, reduced
the world's food comes from