Most of the world’s food source comes from corn, wheat and rice, which are three flowering plants. Corn was first cultivated in Central America about 7,000 years ago and was developed from a plant called teosinte. There were over 300 different varieties by the time the Europeans were exploring Central America. Today, we only six varieties: sweet, pop, flour, dent, pod, and flint.

Wheat was first cultivated in the Near East (Iran, Iraq) in about 8000 B.C., and was thought to be the earliest cultivated plant. Wheat was brought to America around the 1520’s by early settlers and now is the largest producer of wheat in the world.

Rice was discovered in Asia thousands of years ago, and it grew in swamps. We are familiar with the two kinds of rice, brown and white. Leaving the seed coat and embryo on the grain of rice creates brown r

ice. When it is removed, white rice is created. Today rice is grown in the tropics and subtropics where there is no shortage of water.

Malaria has caused more human deaths then any other disease. Quinine, which comes from the bark of the cinchona tree, can cure malaria but a drug patterned after Quinine cannot. The 100% effective drug that cures malaria today only comes from the cinchona tree.

There are many illegal drugs that come from plants, such as coca, which makes cocaine, and crack. Others include Ephedrine, which is used to lose weight and for fitness reasons. Ephedrine, which comes from an herb, grows in the arid regions of the world. It is most commonly known for it main component Ephedra. Ephedrine was used by the Chinese to treat afflictions to the lungs, and is still used to relieve nasal congestion. Ephedrine is known to cause heart rate and body temperature to increase. It also burns fat and increases metabolism. Many use it to lose weight, especially a

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