Poisonous Plants - Medicinal Plants

Until the end of this year, the visitors of the Croatian Natural History Museum can view an interesting exhibition featuring certain kinds of medicinal plants, many of which can be poisonous to humans, but still have uses in the pharmaceutical industry...

An international exhibition “Poison and cure hidden in a bottle” will be open until the end of the year at the Croatian Natural History Museum. The exhibit displays 44 species of medicinal plants, many of which can be poisonous to humans, but that have been used for centuries in traditional medicines and are still utilized today by the pharmaceutical industry. For instance, half the exhibited plants are poisonous but six of them have a commercial purpose on the pharmaceutical market.

The purpose of this very interesting exhibition is to introduce the public to certain species of wild plants that, apart from being medicinal, also represent a real danger to the human organism. With around 300,000 medicinal plants currently being used worldwide, almost 40% of the medical drugs on today’s market contain chemicals that are derived from plants. The exhibition was prepared by the Botanical department of the Croatian Natural History Museum in cooperation with the Natural History Museum of Macedonia and the “Fran Kušan” botanical garden of the Pharmaceutical and Biochemical University of Zagreb.

Moreover, this exhibition is the first opportunity for the public to see poisonous plants coated with polyester tars, a method developed by the Natural History Museum of Macedonia, and plants coated with epoxy tars, a method developed by the Botanical department of the Croatian Natural History Museum.