How is Medicine Made

Whenever we become ill from a disease, we visit a doctor for a checkup, and the doctor prescribes our medicines. Medicines are drugs that cure illnesses. Have you ever wondered how these medicines are made? Some medicine is made from plant leaves and bark, such as neem leaf extract, which is a sedative and can cure analgesics, epilepsy, and hypertension; and tulsi or basil leaves, which can cure coughs, colds, bronchitis, and loss of appetite. In this article, we will see how modern medicine is made.

How Medicine is Made:

Chemicals are used for making medicines. There is no common source for the medicine. They can originate from a variety of sources, including plants, animals, and scientific experiments. Medicines are made in the lab by mixing chemicals together. Fungus is also the source of certain types of medicines. Medicines are used to cure disease. Medicines are of different types. Some medicines can be taken orally like pills, some medicines are injected into the body with the help of an injection, liquid medicines can be swallowed, creams and gels can be applied to the skin, and some medicines can be inhaled like inhalers. Medicines are made through proper testing. Testing comprises two phases. In the first phase, laboratory experiments are done, and in the second phase, clinical trials of drugs are done.

Medicine Making

How is Homoeopathic Medicine Made:

It is an ancient medical science. But the theory of homoeopathy believes that the body can cure itself with some natural medicines. So homoeopathic doctors use small amounts of natural substances like plant and animal minerals as medicine. According to homoeopathic science, something that causes symptoms can be used to treat illness. For example, whenever we cut an onion, our eyes start watering, so according to homoeopathy, onions can treat allergies. Now, homoeopathic medicines are natural sources that can be made by adding water and alcohol, due to which the reactivity of the ingredients decreases slightly. This process is called potentization.

Homoeopathic Medicine

How is Medicine made from Plants:

We usually see in our homes that whenever we get a cough or cold, we are given the advice to drink ginger, tulsi, and clove tea because these plants have properties to treat coughs and colds and contain bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds can cure disease. Plants are used to make medicines through the process of insolation. Plants are ground in this process. After adding liquids, the mixture was filtered to separate soluble and insoluble compounds. Another method is distillation, in which plants are heated up to a boiling point, and after complete heating, unwanted compounds are separated from the plants. Caffeine is found in coffee and is used to treat fatigue and migraines. Many medicines contain caffeine. Aspirin is a medicine that is used to relieve pain. It is found in willow bark. There are many more medicines that are directly obtained from plants.

Medicine From Plants

How is Medicine Capsule Cover Made:

Storing medicine in a capsule is called encapsulation. Capsules may be hard-shelled or soft-shelled. Gelatin is used to make the capsule. Gelatin is made from the skin and bones of cows and pigs. Skin and bones are boiled until a gel-like substance is formed, and this substance is used for the making of the capsule cover. Some capsules are made of cellulose from pine trees; they are called vegetarian capsules. As vegetation capsules are natural, they don’t have any side effects.

Medicine Capsule Cover

How Modern Medicine is Made:

Modern medicine is mostly made through chemical processes. The study of modern medicine is called pharmacology. Any modern medicine is made available to the public only after thorough research and investigation. Many researchers, like chemists, biologists, and physicians, work together to form a medicine. Chemistry's work is to discover molecules, which are then investigated by biologists and prescribed to patients by physicians. Chemistry is very important for making medicines because chemistry is the study of chemicals, and without chemistry, modern medicine cannot be made.

Solved Questions:

Q1. What is medicine?

Ans: Medicine is a drug that is used to cure diseases.

Q2. what is homoeopathy?

Ans: Homoeopathy is an alternative medicine. Homoeopaths say the body can cure itself of disease with certain natural medicines.

Q3. What is gelatin?

Ans: Gelatin is a protein made from animal bones and skin.

Summary:

In this article, we learned about medicines. So medicines are of different types; some are homoeopathic. By homoeopathic medicine, we mean medicines that are made naturally. The science of homoeopathy works on the simple theory that "like cures like." According to this theory, the body can cure itself. For example, onions make our eyes watery, so they are used to treat certain types of allergies, but the scope of homoeopathy is limited. Homoeopathy cannot treat life-threatening diseases like modern medicine can. Modern medicine is made up of chemicals. These chemicals can occur naturally or be made in laboratories. After properly searching, modern medicine comes into use. The capsule covers are made of gelatin; some are made of cellulose or pine; they are called vegetarian capsules.