Frontier Chemistry Project

Exploring The Regions of Missouri and their Plants

Welcome to my Frontier Chemistry guide. Here I will list below possible maladies and their associated plant that can cure or reduce the symptoms of that certain ailment with their medicinal chemical compounds. 

• Being able to justify or identify a plant or root correctly is important in case, somehow, someone is in a position where they must use their environment in order to survive or to help another survive. Knowing how to correctly identify these plants in these situations is important so you know you are doing more helping rather than harm. 
• It would be prudent to know a variety of species from other regions in case you're placed into another region that you aren't familiar with and have to use those elements. Not all environments have the same plants with the same medicinal uses as the region that you are familiar with.
• It would make a significant difference if you were traveling in different seasons because certain plants only flower, bud, or die in certain seasons. The medicinal use of the plant may only be viable when it is flowering or when it is dying, so that part of the plant has to be used in season. 
• As a scientist, it would be important to develop a relationship with local peoples about their plant habitat because the locals may have more information about their own habitat than you may know.
• I would not trust my own knowledge to treat my illness or disease. I am not an expert on all of the local flora in case my disease wasn't covered in this project. But i do trust a reference text's information although I may not be fully healed, but i believe the text would help me to be able to heal myself enough until i can get medical attention. 

Malaria
Frostbite
Tick Bite
Sore Throat
Constipation
Diarrhea
Food poisoning
Sprained ankle/wrist
Knife Cut
Axe wound
Snake bite
Dermatitis
Rope Burn
Poison Ivy
Blisters
Fungus infection
Bear Attack
Deep puncture wound
Burns from oil
Toothache
Flea Bites
Sunburn
Gunshot wound
Broken Bone
Burns from Fire

Citations:

Foster, S., & Duke, J. (2000). A field guide to medicinal plants and herbs of eastern and central North America (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Medicinal Herb Info Home. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015.

Medicinal Herb Uses, Plant Pictures and Descriptions List. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015.

Medicinal Prairie Plants. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015.

NaturalMedicineFacts.info. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015.

Wild Edibles of Missouri. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015.