Q.50 Many secondary metabolites of plants have medicinal properties. It is their misuse that creates problems. Justify the statement with an example.


Drugs like barbiturates, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, lysergic acid diethylamides (LSD) and other similar drugs, that are normally used as medicines to help patients coping with mental illnesses like depression and insomnia. Morphine is a very effective sedative and painkiller and is very useful in patients who have undergone surgery.

Misuse of plant metabolites fruits and seeds in amounts/frequency more than prescribed for medicinal purposes can impair one’s physical, physiological or functional behaviour creating problem for the society and slowly moves towards the eaternal truth (death).