addition, most of the medicines
that have been used by men are derived from
plants and animals.
Most of the Chinese medicines, for example, such
as ginseng and ginkgo, (b).
herb-based.
An example from the realm (c)
modern Western medicine is the drug
Vincristine'.
This drug, which is derived from a jungle plant,
(d)
in the treatment of
leukemia.
• Many of those species that have not yet been
discovered may very likely cure cancer, AIDS, and
of the other diseases
(e) .....
and virus-based illnesses of today.
In fact, one research scientist in the field of botany
(f)...........
concluded that in Costa
Rica's forests alone, 15 percent of the plant specie
may have the potential as a treatment for cance
(a) (i) On
(ii) In
(iii) From
(iv) For
(b) (i) are
(ii) is
(iii) were
(iv) was
(c) (i) at
(ii) in
(iii) of
(iv) on
(d) (i) are used
(ii) is used
(iii) have been used
(iv) used
Bravia 10 Grammar
(e) (i) none
(ii) any
(iv) many
(iii) much
(f) (i) have
(ii) had
(iii) has
(iv) has been
Answers
The use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-based herbal medicine has gained increasing acceptance worldwide.
(1) It is estimated that one-third of adults in developed countries and more than 80% of people in many developing countries use herbal medicines for illnesses ranging from the common cold to chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
(2) In Singapore, a recent single-centre study revealed that 84% of patients suffering from chronic pain use complementary and alternative medicine, of which the most common is TCM.
(3) However, the use of herbal medicines is not without potential hazards. In a study on aged persons seen at a memory disorders clinic, 17% were current users of herbal medication and almost a third of them were at risk of herb-drug interactions.
(4) This high prevalence of concurrent usage is further complicated by poor reporting; about 80%–90% of patients do not disclose their use of herbal medicines to healthcare professionals.
(5,6) The popularity of TCM use among patients in the local context prompts the need for greater physician awareness of potential risks that may arise from the simultaneous use of prescription drugs.
One of the most common classes of prescription drugs with a risk of herb-drug interactions is antithrombotic agents (including anticoagulants and antiplatelets),
(7,8) while other medications include antidepressants, cardiovascular drugs, immunosuppressants, anti-HIV drugs and anticancer drugs.