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B50

essence, selected portions of a Genetic Reserve would serve as a tested,
reliable, and varied genetic reservoir for perpetuating selected populations
for forestry and related uses. In fact, certain portions of the Genetic
Reserve should be preserved intact after the initial screening has taken
place.

To meet the challenges of maintaining an adequate forest gene pool for the
future, these various strategies must be applied and they should be initiated
in those areas where they are now lacking.

Important Drug Plants in the U.S.

Medicinal plants of importance fall into several categories,
i.e. (a) those that yield pure chemical compounds of established
value in the treatment of disease; (b) those that are used in a crude
or advanced form, and which have established value in the treatment
of disease; (c) those that yield chemical compounds of importance as
starting materials for the semi-synthetic production of drugs which
have an established value in the treatment of disease; (d) those that
yield extracts or compounds which in themselves have no well-established
medicinal value, but which may be necessary for the preparation of com-
pendial dosage forms; (e) those that yield chemical compounds of known
structure that are not in themselves useful as drugs, but which may have
a valuable utility as pharmacologic tools in that they contribute to a
better understanding of the mechanism of action of other drugs; and
(f) those plants that have a widespread use as "herbal remedies", "teas"
and the like, in which case the medicinal value may not have been estab-
lished.

There is a false conception by many as to the importance of higher
plants as drugs, or as sources of useful drugs. This is prevalent in
the United States, as well as in many countries abroad. Perhaps a few
factual aspects of the role of plants as medicines, or as sources of