Rating: 
Summary: Medicine quest review
Review: Medicine Quest Review
Medicine Quest was an awesome book that taught me a lot, but was also very interesting. It was the kind of book you pick up dreading to read but then love it. It started out with a story about a medicine man who found a way to help diabetes. Then it went on it talked about different medicines such as penicillin which was produced from fungi, different pain killer from frogs and snakes and antibiotics from plants and even bugs. Overall I thought that it was an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone who is interesting in learning about medicine or even to someone who just wants to sit down with a good book.Mark J Plotkin
Medicine Quest
In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets
New York: Penguin Group
$22.95 pp208 Main Points · Some Poison for Your Pain- Poisonous reptiles and amphibians are knows to have venom that help kill pain for people. Some Scientist studied frogs and snakes and found a new treatment for pain, but a lot of what they found was to toxic for humans so their next task was to try to change the treatment to work. Venom have taught scientist a lot about the body and how medicines function in them. · The Eternal Quest- Scientist used to think that humans were the only ones who used to use medicine but they were proved wrong after finding a Neanderthal with seven medical species of plants in a ring around his body. Scientist are now looking for answer from other animal to see what kinds of medicines and adaptations they can give us. Also past things are giving scientist clues, such as the discovery of the ice man, and finding myrrh which was an antibiotic used in the ancient world. · The Fungus Among Us- Fungi is sometimes know to scientist as a "lower organism" but actually it is responsible for 5 of the top 30 medicines. Penicillin is the most well known medicine. It has saved millions of lives though out the world today. It was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when it grew in his petri dish. Then he couldn't figure out how it had grown and couldn't grow it again, but finally someone did. Fungi are known as one of the most ancient lives on earth. · Drugs from Bugs- Many discoveries have been made from bugs that help with sicknesses. In native tribes they use ants to help with their arthritis pain, bedbugs are used for treating external wounds, beetles are used for the steroids in their glands and spiders not only contribute venom to this world but also other things like their ability to capture their prey. Bees wax from honeybees has been used for medical ointments, plasters and even suppositories. · Hideous Healers- Scientist estimate that there are over 650 species of leeches all around the world. They have been used in ancient medicines for Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Indians and Chinese. They are used for therapeutic purposes, its saliva is used as a blood thinner that helped with clotting. Maggots are used for the treatment of bone infections and other deep wounds.
· The Snakes in the Caduceus- Snakes have served as fascination to some and fear to other human cultures. Snakes poison has been used as an agent for capital punishment, murder, suicide, torture and even welfare. Snakes medicine also dates back to the ancient times. Snake oil is the most antique term of snake medicine. Some of these oils were ineffective, some were poisonous, and some were addictive. Snakes best quality is its venom used for many medicines. Even though the venom varies form species to species they all serve a great purpose. · Under the Sea- Scientist believe that over 80% of species will be found under sea due to the fact that 70% of this earth is covered in water and ocean. That give a great chance that the sea is a great place to look for medical advantages. Coral has been know to have a compound that helps with the cure/ treatment of cancer. Its compound is called eleutherobin and scientist have been having a hard time working with it because it is so hard to obtain. The lowly sponge provides us with great things, such as a cleaner to keep patients clean and so no bacteria is around, also it has shown to be a great treatment for leukemia. · Plants of the Apes- When studying the apes scientist found that some of them have a specific diet with allows them to fight off the bacteria that causes diarrhea. Also from studying animals scientist have discovered that animals themselves give off a poison to their body which helps them fight off snake bites or get rid of diseases. The apes themselves are very picky eaters which helps with the medical research. They found that the reason the apes were being picky is because they plant they were eating actually acts as an antibiotic which mean that to much could be potentially deadly.
Rating:
Summary: Medicine quest review
Review: Medicine Quest Review
Medicine Quest was an awesome book that taught me a lot, but was also very interesting. It was the kind of book you pick up dreading to read but then love it. It started out with a story about a medicine man who found a way to help diabetes. Then it went on it talked about different medicines such as penicillin which was produced from fungi, different pain killer from frogs and snakes and antibiotics from plants and even bugs. Overall I thought that it was an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone who is interesting in learning about medicine or even to someone who just wants to sit down with a good book. Mark J Plotkin
Medicine Quest
In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets
New York: Penguin Group
$22.95 pp208 Main Points · Some Poison for Your Pain- Poisonous reptiles and amphibians are knows to have venom that help kill pain for people. Some Scientist studied frogs and snakes and found a new treatment for pain, but a lot of what they found was to toxic for humans so their next task was to try to change the treatment to work. Venom have taught scientist a lot about the body and how medicines function in them. · The Eternal Quest- Scientist used to think that humans were the only ones who used to use medicine but they were proved wrong after finding a Neanderthal with seven medical species of plants in a ring around his body. Scientist are now looking for answer from other animal to see what kinds of medicines and adaptations they can give us. Also past things are giving scientist clues, such as the discovery of the ice man, and finding myrrh which was an antibiotic used in the ancient world. · The Fungus Among Us- Fungi is sometimes know to scientist as a "lower organism" but actually it is responsible for 5 of the top 30 medicines. Penicillin is the most well known medicine. It has saved millions of lives though out the world today. It was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when it grew in his petri dish. Then he couldn't figure out how it had grown and couldn't grow it again, but finally someone did. Fungi are known as one of the most ancient lives on earth. · Drugs from Bugs- Many discoveries have been made from bugs that help with sicknesses. In native tribes they use ants to help with their arthritis pain, bedbugs are used for treating external wounds, beetles are used for the steroids in their glands and spiders not only contribute venom to this world but also other things like their ability to capture their prey. Bees wax from honeybees has been used for medical ointments, plasters and even suppositories. · Hideous Healers- Scientist estimate that there are over 650 species of leeches all around the world. They have been used in ancient medicines for Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Indians and Chinese. They are used for therapeutic purposes, its saliva is used as a blood thinner that helped with clotting. Maggots are used for the treatment of bone infections and other deep wounds.
· The Snakes in the Caduceus- Snakes have served as fascination to some and fear to other human cultures. Snakes poison has been used as an agent for capital punishment, murder, suicide, torture and even welfare. Snakes medicine also dates back to the ancient times. Snake oil is the most antique term of snake medicine. Some of these oils were ineffective, some were poisonous, and some were addictive. Snakes best quality is its venom used for many medicines. Even though the venom varies form species to species they all serve a great purpose. · Under the Sea- Scientist believe that over 80% of species will be found under sea due to the fact that 70% of this earth is covered in water and ocean. That give a great chance that the sea is a great place to look for medical advantages. Coral has been know to have a compound that helps with the cure/ treatment of cancer. Its compound is called eleutherobin and scientist have been having a hard time working with it because it is so hard to obtain. The lowly sponge provides us with great things, such as a cleaner to keep patients clean and so no bacteria is around, also it has shown to be a great treatment for leukemia. · Plants of the Apes- When studying the apes scientist found that some of them have a specific diet with allows them to fight off the bacteria that causes diarrhea. Also from studying animals scientist have discovered that animals themselves give off a poison to their body which helps them fight off snake bites or get rid of diseases. The apes themselves are very picky eaters which helps with the medical research. They found that the reason the apes were being picky is because they plant they were eating actually acts as an antibiotic which mean that to much could be potentially deadly.
Rating:
Summary: Medicine quest review
Review: Medicine Quest Review
Medicine Quest was an awesome book that taught me a lot, but was also very interesting. It was the kind of book you pick up dreading to read but then love it. It started out with a story about a medicine man who found a way to help diabetes. Then it went on it talked about different medicines such as penicillin which was produced from fungi, different pain killer from frogs and snakes and antibiotics from plants and even bugs. Overall I thought that it was an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone who is interesting in learning about medicine or even to someone who just wants to sit down with a good book. Mark J Plotkin
Medicine Quest
In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets
New York: Penguin Group
$22.95 pp208 Main Points · Some Poison for Your Pain- Poisonous reptiles and amphibians are knows to have venom that help kill pain for people. Some Scientist studied frogs and snakes and found a new treatment for pain, but a lot of what they found was to toxic for humans so their next task was to try to change the treatment to work. Venom have taught scientist a lot about the body and how medicines function in them. · The Eternal Quest- Scientist used to think that humans were the only ones who used to use medicine but they were proved wrong after finding a Neanderthal with seven medical species of plants in a ring around his body. Scientist are now looking for answer from other animal to see what kinds of medicines and adaptations they can give us. Also past things are giving scientist clues, such as the discovery of the ice man, and finding myrrh which was an antibiotic used in the ancient world. · The Fungus Among Us- Fungi is sometimes know to scientist as a "lower organism" but actually it is responsible for 5 of the top 30 medicines. Penicillin is the most well known medicine. It has saved millions of lives though out the world today. It was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when it grew in his petri dish. Then he couldn't figure out how it had grown and couldn't grow it again, but finally someone did. Fungi are known as one of the most ancient lives on earth. · Drugs from Bugs- Many discoveries have been made from bugs that help with sicknesses. In native tribes they use ants to help with their arthritis pain, bedbugs are used for treating external wounds, beetles are used for the steroids in their glands and spiders not only contribute venom to this world but also other things like their ability to capture their prey. Bees wax from honeybees has been used for medical ointments, plasters and even suppositories. · Hideous Healers- Scientist estimate that there are over 650 species of leeches all around the world. They have been used in ancient medicines for Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Indians and Chinese. They are used for therapeutic purposes, its saliva is used as a blood thinner that helped with clotting. Maggots are used for the treatment of bone infections and other deep wounds.
· The Snakes in the Caduceus- Snakes have served as fascination to some and fear to other human cultures. Snakes poison has been used as an agent for capital punishment, murder, suicide, torture and even welfare. Snakes medicine also dates back to the ancient times. Snake oil is the most antique term of snake medicine. Some of these oils were ineffective, some were poisonous, and some were addictive. Snakes best quality is its venom used for many medicines. Even though the venom varies form species to species they all serve a great purpose. · Under the Sea- Scientist believe that over 80% of species will be found under sea due to the fact that 70% of this earth is covered in water and ocean. That give a great chance that the sea is a great place to look for medical advantages. Coral has been know to have a compound that helps with the cure/ treatment of cancer. Its compound is called eleutherobin and scientist have been having a hard time working with it because it is so hard to obtain. The lowly sponge provides us with great things, such as a cleaner to keep patients clean and so no bacteria is around, also it has shown to be a great treatment for leukemia. · Plants of the Apes- When studying the apes scientist found that some of them have a specific diet with allows them to fight off the bacteria that causes diarrhea. Also from studying animals scientist have discovered that animals themselves give off a poison to their body which helps them fight off snake bites or get rid of diseases. The apes themselves are very picky eaters which helps with the medical research. They found that the reason the apes were being picky is because they plant they were eating actually acts as an antibiotic which mean that to much could be potentially deadly.
Rating: 
Summary: Undergraduate students read and rate
Review: My undergraduate class, comprising a wide variety of majors from biology and nursing to psychology and religious studies, read Medicine Quest and provided the following reviews: "The thing I liked about Medicine Quest was the way it talked about specific animals and the purposes they have. The most impressive thing was the poisonous frog that can fit on the tip of a person's finger--although it is colorful, the birds know they cannot eat it. Even though we have medicines in our Western culture, I believe this book gives much more hope of finding natural cures that will not harm other organs in a person's body while trying to heal something else. The more I read, the less I want to take of our so-called 'cures'." "Medicine Quest was a fact-filled, eye-opening delight. It discussed medicines of yesterday, today, the future and those still uncovered. The many wonders and treasures the rain forest holds is mind boggling. The oceans, seas and rivers have still to be deeply explored and treasures to medicine and health will continue to be uncovered. The focus on how we, as a whole, are destroying the environment (by cutting down trees or increasing the global temperatures of water) is eye-opening. That we could be destroying precious life and chemicals is heart-wrenching. Everything from the fungi that eats insects' brains to bumblebees to sponges can hold value, even when we do not see it. To think that the cure to AIDS could be sitting 12,000 miles under the sea in some little bacteria on the tooth of a giant squid-like eel makes us aware that things are not always as they seem. Bacteria, for instance, are not the dumb entities we believe them to be. The section talking about penicillin and the bacteria immune to it proves just how capable and smart they can be. Dr. Plotkin has outdone himself again." "Medicine Quest shows the incredible link between the natural world and our technological world. It teaches how very interrelated they are and how the loss of species of animals and plants could potentially destroy a treasure trove of medicines. From common animals such as rattlesnakes and leeches to those species that are quickly disappearing (cone snails and everything contained in the rain forests), Dr. Plotkin shows what we are doing to the Earth and ultimately to ourselves. And the best part is that through the sometimes depressing news, he still manages to keep his sense of humor." "This book is very well written and reader friendly. It is full of scientific facts and names but these are presented in a very readable and at times humorous fashion. I found the information in this book fascinating and useful. It is nice to know where some of our medications come from (even if it is gross!). The author gives us hope that there are drugs out there that may be found to help treat some of our most debilitating and deadly diseases. But he does stress throughout the book that we must conserve our natural environment or many of these drugs will be lost to us. This was not a book I would have bought just to read, but I am very glad I read it. It opened my eyes to see the world in a different light, even all its yucky bugs. I now know more about leeches than I ever cared to. P.S.--The way he combines science, ancient cultural practices and modern medicines is excellent. I was glad to read that modern medicine is beginning to look at, if not fully accept, some of the ancient methods of healing with leeches and maggots." "I like how he says that humans act as if we are the superior beings on the planet, yet we observe animals to see what they use for medicinal purposes. Utilizing the sea and bugs for medicine never occurred to me until reading this. I also enjoyed how the author explained how spirituality plays an important role in healing, like when he talked about the shamans and how they are not only the doctors of their tribes; they also play other important roles, e.g., priest/rabbi. Along with spirituality, I really liked the idea that dreams are a link to something greater. The idea that dreams are teaching us and guiding us has always amazed me. I loved the examples given. Excellent book--I recommend it to my healers. Thanks." "I was amazed to learn that the monkeys use plants for their medicinal properties, such as to kill parasites. This book shows us that saving the endangered species is not only for their own benefit, but that the creatures can help humans in many ways. I liked this book because it opened my eyes to the big picture. It shows how each species can be dependent on others, e.g., when the fruits depend on the birds to deposit their seeds elsewhere through defecation and the bird uses the fruit for nutrition. I was amazed that elephants in Kenya may consume a tree to induce labor and the women of WaTongwe also use this very same plant to induce labor or abortion. This book shows how similar humans are to other species when it comes to basic needs and survival."
Rating:
Summary: Class reviews
Review: Students in a Psychology of Healing class have this to say about Medicine Quest: "I really liked Medicine Quest, which wasn't surprising because I liked the first book Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice. Medicine Quest was another well-done, highly informative book about the secrets of the jungle. We could learn a lot from the people of these forests, if only we had the mind to listen to them. What I especially liked was the feeling of being a tourist on adventures following along on all of Mark Plotkin's journeys. He really brings you to the heart of these native peoples' cultures and beliefs." "I appreciated the hope I felt as I read the entire book. Dr. Plotkin indicated there is so much unexplored wilderness yet to be examined. I liked knowing that there are people like Mark Plotkin who will not stop until answers are found. What courage he has! I liked how he enmeshed his personal life with his 'quest' to find natural healing remedies. I felt some personal emotions as he discussed hope for finding a remedy for brain tumors." "The book, Medicine Quest by Mark Plotkin, had many features to recommend it. I particularly liked his story-telling style, the way the book exposed new possibilities, the sense of adventure that was portrayed and the way he brought hope in relation to killer diseases such as diabetes. It was a great book that I wouldn't have read if not for this class. I'm glad I did!" "I felt that the book was simply piled with information. It seems so weird to think that we, the Western 'modern civilization,' really have not even come close to tapping into the natural medicines, resources, techniques, and solutions that are out there in the world as a whole. I thought it was cool (I know I really shouldn't have because of the pain he was in), but I was truly moved and touched how that tribe had him drink the liquid and he was in so much pain he felt he had died and the shaman was able to resolve his pain, viz., the symbolism of the whole event of being reborn and your spirit leaving and running free and returning." "I enjoyed Medicine Quest very much. I found it was easy to read, much like an entertaining novel--yet it was full of information like a text on science, biology, and sociology. I found that Dr. Plotkin has a great respect for life. It is evident in his work with other cultures and his appreciation of living things. I especially enjoyed the historical information regarding the development of medicines. Dr. Plotkin has a wonderful talent and insight for explanation and making connections between the scientific world and mainstream society. I think Dr. Plotkin is a good voice for the conservation of the rain forest--for helping everyone realize that we are all connected throughout the world and yet we all can learn from each other. I found the information regarding animals and their uses of plants as medicine interesting and truly an indication that we have much to learn."
Rating:
Summary: Class reviews
Review: Students in a Psychology of Healing class have this to say about Medicine Quest: "I really liked Medicine Quest, which wasn't surprising because I liked the first book Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice. Medicine Quest was another well-done, highly informative book about the secrets of the jungle. We could learn a lot from the people of these forests, if only we had the mind to listen to them. What I especially liked was the feeling of being a tourist on adventures following along on all of Mark Plotkin's journeys. He really brings you to the heart of these native peoples' cultures and beliefs." "I appreciated the hope I felt as I read the entire book. Dr. Plotkin indicated there is so much unexplored wilderness yet to be examined. I liked knowing that there are people like Mark Plotkin who will not stop until answers are found. What courage he has! I liked how he enmeshed his personal life with his 'quest' to find natural healing remedies. I felt some personal emotions as he discussed hope for finding a remedy for brain tumors." "The book, Medicine Quest by Mark Plotkin, had many features to recommend it. I particularly liked his story-telling style, the way the book exposed new possibilities, the sense of adventure that was portrayed and the way he brought hope in relation to killer diseases such as diabetes. It was a great book that I wouldn't have read if not for this class. I'm glad I did!" "I felt that the book was simply piled with information. It seems so weird to think that we, the Western 'modern civilization,' really have not even come close to tapping into the natural medicines, resources, techniques, and solutions that are out there in the world as a whole. I thought it was cool (I know I really shouldn't have because of the pain he was in), but I was truly moved and touched how that tribe had him drink the liquid and he was in so much pain he felt he had died and the shaman was able to resolve his pain, viz., the symbolism of the whole event of being reborn and your spirit leaving and running free and returning." "I enjoyed Medicine Quest very much. I found it was easy to read, much like an entertaining novel--yet it was full of information like a text on science, biology, and sociology. I found that Dr. Plotkin has a great respect for life. It is evident in his work with other cultures and his appreciation of living things. I especially enjoyed the historical information regarding the development of medicines. Dr. Plotkin has a wonderful talent and insight for explanation and making connections between the scientific world and mainstream society. I think Dr. Plotkin is a good voice for the conservation of the rain forest--for helping everyone realize that we are all connected throughout the world and yet we all can learn from each other. I found the information regarding animals and their uses of plants as medicine interesting and truly an indication that we have much to learn."
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This book is mostly a series of gee wiz "Ripley's Believe It or Not" type vignettes. There are threads of good information that might have made an interesting short article with some major editing.
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