What have plants ever done for us? 2015. 50 figs. 262 p. Hardcover.

Plants are an indispensable part of our everyday lives. From the coffee bean that gets roasted for our morning brew to the grasses that feed the animals we eat to the rubber tree that provides the raw materials used in the tires of our cars, we depend on plants for nearly every aspect of our lives. With What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?

Stephen Harris takes readers step by chronological step through the role of plants in the rise of the Western world, with sojourns through the history of trade, travel, politics, chemistry, and medicine. Plants are our most important food source. Some, such as barley, have been staples since the earliest times. Others, like the oil palm, are relative newcomersto the Western world. Over time, the ways we use some plantshas also dramatically changed: Beets, a familiar sight on the dinner plate, were once thought to be an effective treatment for leprosy and now show significant promise as a sustainable biofuel. What, one wonders, might the future thus hold for themandrake or woad? Plants have also held potent cures to some of our most prevalent diseases. An extract from the bark of the yew tree, for instance, is commonly used in the treatment of cancer.