What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?

What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 280
Release :
ISBN-10 : UCSD:31822042241638
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (38 Downloads)

Book Synopsis What Have Plants Ever Done for Us? by : Stephen Harris

Download or read book What Have Plants Ever Done for Us? written by Stephen Harris and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When did the British Government become the world's largest drugs pusher? What tree is frequently used to treat cancer? Which everyday condiment is the most widely traded spice on the planet?Plants are an indispensable part of our everyday life. From the coffee bush and grass for cattle which give us milk for our cappuccinos to the rubber tree which produces tyres for our cars, our lives are inextricably linked to the world of plants.Taking us on a chronological journey, Stephen Harris identifies fifty plants that have been key to the development of the Western world, discussing trade, politics, medicine, travel and chemistry along the way.Plants have provided paper and ink, chemicals that could kill or cure, vital sustenance and stimulants. Some, such as barley, have been staples from earliest times; others, such as oil palm, are newcomers to Western industry. Moreover, with time, uses change: beets, which have been used variously as a treatment for leprosy, source of sugar and animal feed, are now showing potential as biofuels. What may the future hold for mandrake or woad?We remain dependent on plants for our food, our fuel and our medicines. Their effects on our lives, as the stories in this wide-ranging and engaging book demonstrate, continue to be profound, and often unpredictable.


What Have Plants Ever Done for Us? Related Books

What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?
Language: en
Pages: 280
Authors: Stephen Harris
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When did the British Government become the world's largest drugs pusher? What tree is frequently used to treat cancer? Which everyday condiment is the most wide
Plant Tribe
Language: en
Pages: 833
Authors: Igor Josifovic
Categories: Gardening
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-03-17 - Publisher: Abrams

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Igor JosifovicandJudith de Graaff, the bestselling authors of Urban Jungle, delve into the many ways that nurturing plants helps nurture the soul. Plant Tribe:
Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask
Language: en
Pages: 431
Authors: Mary Siisip Geniusz
Categories: Nature
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-06-22 - Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Mary Siisip Geniusz has spent more than thirty years working with, living with, and using the Anishinaabe teachings, recipes, and botanical information she shar
How Plants Work
Language: en
Pages: 370
Authors: Stephen Blackmore
Categories: Nature
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

How Plants Work is a fascinating enquiry into, and celebration of, the rich complexity of plant life.
What Has Nature Ever Done For Us?
Language: en
Pages: 382
Authors: Tony Juniper
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-01-10 - Publisher: Profile Books

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From Indian vultures to Chinese bees, Nature provides the 'natural services' that keep the economy going. From the recycling miracles in the soil; an army of pr