Are carnivorous plants used in any “western medicines” or pharmaceuticals?
However, as far as I know, carnivorous plants have not been used in mainstream medicines. There is a compound (“Sarapin”) based upon an extract of Sarracenia purpurea that some claim can reduce neuromuscular or neuralgic pain. However, this drug (and “prolotherapy”, its method of application) is not quite mainstream medical practice. For what it is worth, Aetna does not consider Sarapin or prolotherapy legitimate enough to cover in its health plans. Some carnivorous plants such as Dionaea and Drosera contain naphthoquinones, and these may have some therapeutic value. Unfortunately, these chemicals have a high toxicity and this limits their curative values. I am not a medical doctor, so do not email me questions about this issue. Vegetarians can eat carnivorous plants? Carnivorous plants are not edibles. So never try to eat them, besides those plants has partly digested animals inside. There are over 600 species of Carnivorous Plants around the world – found on every continent – in orde
