Here are some of the basics you need to know to become a good “plant doctor”. Each of these is a pretty big topic of its own, but this list should give you some places to start.

• Grow plants, read a lot, experiment with ideas. Keep good notes.
• A good understanding of the growth and physiology of plants will go a long way toward moving from amateur gardener to valuable specialist.
• If you can help it, don’t get your training from a landscaping crew or big box store.
• Know that too much or too little water can kill plants, and learn what too much and too little water look like.
• Understand when and why plants might lose leaves, and how the location of leaves lost can tell you what might be wrong.
• Learn about the physics of various growing media and how they hold water and air.
• Learn the basics of photosynthesis and respiration. It will serve you well to understand the biology.
• Teach yourself about plant hormones, how they affect plant growth and development, and how they determine stress responses of plants.
• For trees, understand CODIT, the compartmentalization of decay in trees. A good arborist (“tree surgeon”) knows what a pruning decision today is likely to do to a tree five, ten, or twenty years from now.
• Learn about the importance of branch angles and the phenomenon of “included bark”. Many of the big limbs lost in storms shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
• Know what circling and stem-girdling roots are, and both how to prevent and how to correct them.
• Learn the locations and functions of xylem, phloem, and cambium, and how to diagnose girdling damage by animals, as well as what it does to a tree or shrub.
• Learn about mineral nutrition and the role of soil pH in nutrient deficiencies.
• Get familiar with insect and disease pests and how to control them.
• Never stop learning! I teach plant science for a living, and I learn new things about plants almost every day.

Dato che molti prodotti farmaceutici attualmente disponibili sono o derivati da piante esistenti o sviluppati per emulare gli effetti di piante esistenti, direi che possono essere efficaci.

La corteccia di salice contiene salicilato e usato per migliaia di anni come analgesico per il trattamento del dolore e della febbre. Ora è raffinato come aspirina.

Foxglove (digitalis) è stato usato per secoli per trattare condizioni di calore. Ora è raffinata e commercializzata come digossina e usata per l'insufficienza cardiaca e l'insufficienza cardiaca congestizia.

Altre piante come il ricino, l'erba di San Giovanni (trattamento della memoria) e molte, molte altre sono state usate per migliaia di anni per trattare vari disturbi e condizioni.

L'industria farmaceutica esiste solo dal 19° secolo circa e Le radici dell'industria farmaceutica risalgono agli speziali e alle farmacie che offrivano rimedi tradizionali fin dal Medioevo, offrendo una gamma di trattamenti basati su secoli di conoscenza popolare.

Direi che possono essere efficaci.