Nature's Pharmacy

Plants, animals, and fungi each contain thousands of chemical compounds, which they use in everything from reproduction to defense against predators and disease. Scientists have long harnessed such natural chemicals to fight human illnesses, often synthesizing them (artificially creating them in the lab) and developing them into drugs. In this slide show, take a look at a few species that have offered up cures and salves for a number of afflictions.—Claudine Ko

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