CHAPTER 5< Chemicals for Consumers>

Text Book page 199

medicines

What are medicines ?

We take medicines to cure ourselves when we are sick. Medicines are chemicals that help to cure infection and maintain our health and well being. Medicines can be obtained from natural sources or synthetic chemicals. Medicines can be classified as traditional medicines and modern medicines.

Types of medicines /

; MODERN MEDIC INES

; TRADITIONAL MEDIC INES

Traditional medicines

-Traditional medicines are derived from plants or animals.

-Traditional medicines are usually not processed.

-Any medicinal plant containing alkaloid is potentially toxic to the liver.

-Traditional medicines can cause serious side effects.

-More research on the toxic and adverse effects of traditional medicines should be carried out in order to ensure the safety of these medicines to the public.

Source Characteristics UsesGarlic To treat colds and asthma,

lowers the blood pressure, antibiotics

Eaten raw or cooked

Cocaine Anaesthetic Drug is processed from the leave

Ginseng Strengthen the body Boiled with water to produce juice

Quinine Treat malaria Produced from the bark

Ginger Treat stomach ache, treat diarrhea, prevent flu

Boiled with water to produce juice

Peppermint Increase the body metabolism, treat nausea, indigestion and flu, to treat headaches, muscles and nerve pain

Boiled with water to produce juice or taken in capsule

Eurycoma longifolia(Tongkat Ali)

Treat wounds, relieve headaches, to lower the body temperature, increase male virility

Dried and boiled with water to produce juice, served as a hot drink / beverage or made into tablets / capsules

Tamarind (Asam Jawa) Reduce malaria fever, reduce cough, medicine for gastric problem

Dried and served as a cold drink

Lemon grass (Serai) Mosquito repellent, treat cough, headaches and stomach aches

Made into juice

Centella asiatica (Daun pegaga)

Help maintain youthfulness, relieve hypertension, aid wound healing

Eaten raw or made into juice

Green tea Prevent breast, stomach and skin cancers, improve mental alertness, lower the cholesterol levels

Drink as beverage

Aloe vera (Lidah buaya) Heal wounds and skin disease, laxative, treat diabetes, osteoarthritis and sunburn

Eaten cooked or leaves produce juice and rub on body

Herbs Ginseng

Tongkat AliPegaga

Melastoma

Modern Medicines

Modern medicine are medicinesthat are manufactured on a large-scale for consumers.

• Modern medicines are chemicalsthat are extracted from plants andanimals.

• They could also be syntheticchemicals.

• These medicines include analgesics,antibiotics, and psychotherapeuticmedicines.

Analgesics

are modern medicines that relieve pain.

Commonly known as painkiller.

Analgesics do not treat the cause of the pain but just to relieve pain

without causing numbness or affecting consciousness.

Example of analgesics

PARACETAMOL

ASPIRINS (acetylsalicylic acid)

Felix Hoffmann

CODEINE

Antibiotics

are modern medicines that kill bacteria.

Used to treat infections caused by bacteria but not to cure infections

caused by viruses such as flu and cold.

Obtained from bacteria and fungi.

Should be finished to make sure that all the bacteria are killed or one

can become ill again and bacteria may become more resistant to the

antibiotic.

Examples of antibiotics

PENICILLIN

STREPTOMYCIN

Psychotherapeutic medicines

are modern medicines used to treat mental illnesses.

Used to alter abnormal thinking, feeling or behaviours.

These medicines do not cure mental illness but just reduce the

symptoms of mental illness.

Example

STIMULANTS

ANTIDEPRESSANTS

ANTIPSYCHOTICS

^Using Medicines^

• Not all medicines are safe to use. Every medicines has its side effects. Both traditional and modern medicines have side effect.

• Some traditional medicines help people lose weight by speeding up their metabolism but the side effect are the increasing of blood pressure and heart rate.

• Modern medicine can only be taken under doctor’s supervision or obtained through a prescription. Using drugs excessively is called drug abuse. Birth control pills are an example of modern medicine. Women who use them experience side effects such as hypertension, acne, and abnormal bleeding.

Correct ways of using medicines

1. Discuss with your doctor and listen to the doctor concerning about

the medicine to be taken.

2. Follow the instructions given by your doctor or pharmacist

concerning the dosage and method taking the medicine.

3. Medicines for adults should not be given to kids and vice versa.

4. Visit the doctor immediately if there are symptoms of allergy or

effects after taking a medicine.

5. Like food, medicine also have expiry dates. Do not take medicines

that has already expired.

CONCLUSION

A medicine is used to cure diseases or

relieve pain. Medicines are classified as

traditional and modern medicine. Traditional

medicines are derived from plants and animals

while modern medicines have been synthesised.

Both type of medicines have undesirable side

effects. Medicines should also be taken with

the right amount and with the right medicine

to avoid drug abuse.

Credits SmOISm Anis Sofia bt Sam Shor NaharCSOr Nur Amirah bt Mohd AminSJb Nur Fadhlina bt Mohamed HataEBSQq Nursuhada Balqis bt Amat RazaliSIODb Manarina Darwisyah bt RazaliOSHQEBl Siti Munirah bt Abdul G haniSEBOQo Siti Nurhaliza bt Mohamad