For thousands of years, people have used plants to make mild medicines and germ-killers. The juice of the aloe plant helps heal burns. Leeks not only make a tasty soup, but also a soothing rub for insect stings.
Plants are used to make powerful medicines, too. These medicines are made in laboratories, and people get them from a doctor. The leaves of the foxglove, with its tall, pretty flowers, are used to make digitalis. This medicine helps certain kinds of heart problems. Quinine, a medicine made from the bark of the cinchona tree, helps bring down high fevers.
There is one important thing you should remember about these plants. They are all poisonous. If you ate one of them, you might die. But when these plants are used in medicines, they help people to get well.
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