Nicole S. Rivera Espinal

4Rd Seminar The tropical healing forest: the epicenter of natural medicinesby: Dr. Eloy Rodríguez, Ph.D.

Cornell University

In this seminar medicinal plants played a huge role on how they can be administered to humans and found in tropical areas such as forests. Also, it discussed how technologies have evolved to combat infectious diseases and how animals by instinct or learned behavior self-medicate. On the other hand, Dr.Rodriguez introduced a problem solving challenge related to cyclopia, which is a disease that affects fetal development caused by the medicinal plant Veratrum californicum because of its molecular mechanism, Teratogen. Consequently, the replication of DNA by the mRNA is stopped in the cell resulting in cyclopia. In addition, the second case presented the relation between the liver and pancreas in order to carry digestion using insulin. These were important facts because help on understanding that people are not aware of how elements in different plants work and can affect certain capabilities in the immune system (health disparities). Finally, this research provides a new perspective on treating diseases that can potentially become worldwide disasters.