How Saving Ginkgo Biloba Could Save Humankind: Palaeobotanical Future
Mentor Information
Anna Dixon (Department of Anthropology)
Description
Since humans have been around for millennia, they have come to learn a lot about many plants; but some plants have been around for longer than humans, like the Ginkgo biloba tree. It is in instances like this where humans yearn to understand the natural world around them and come to find that it is beneficial to them. Ginko biloba is one of thousands of plants that is medicinally beneficial to humans. It has long been a traditional medicine in China, being used to treat respiratory and mental conditions for thousands of years. In recent decades, this plant has finally been taken seriously in Western science, as a multidisciplinary approach is taken to understand exactly how Ginkgo is beneficial to humans while also avoiding the potential lethality it can bring. But will humans destroy this species before we can fully understand how it can help us? Only time will tell the future of this palaeobotanical giant.
How Saving Ginkgo Biloba Could Save Humankind: Palaeobotanical Future
Since humans have been around for millennia, they have come to learn a lot about many plants; but some plants have been around for longer than humans, like the Ginkgo biloba tree. It is in instances like this where humans yearn to understand the natural world around them and come to find that it is beneficial to them. Ginko biloba is one of thousands of plants that is medicinally beneficial to humans. It has long been a traditional medicine in China, being used to treat respiratory and mental conditions for thousands of years. In recent decades, this plant has finally been taken seriously in Western science, as a multidisciplinary approach is taken to understand exactly how Ginkgo is beneficial to humans while also avoiding the potential lethality it can bring. But will humans destroy this species before we can fully understand how it can help us? Only time will tell the future of this palaeobotanical giant.
