Metabolites 2012.2 305 melezitose,sucrose and invert sugar and it has been documented and claimed by the Ayurvedic people that the plant aids in the treatment of anorexia,constipation,dermatosis,epistaxis,fever,leprosy,and obesity []It was also used by the Israelis who boiled the roots and drank the extract as it stopped bloody diarrhea.The Konkani people smoked the plant for the treatment of asthma,whilst the Romans used the plant for nasal polyps []The plant Ligusticum Linnaeus found in Northern Europe and eastern north america was eaten raw first thing in the morning and was believed to protect a person from daily infection [the root was a cure for flatulence [10-12],an aphrodisiac [12]and was used as a sedative in the Faeroe Islands 10,13.Atropa belladonna Linnaeus (deadly nightshade)is found in central and Southern Europe,Western Asia,North Africa,North America and New Zealand. Its notoriously poisonous nature(three berries are sufficient to kill a child)firmly excluded it from the folk medicine compilation and seemed to have been accepted as dangerous to handle or to experiment with「141 1.3.Medicinal Natural Products from Other Sources Used in Folklore The fungus Piptoporus,which grows on birches was steamed to produce charcoal,valued as an antiseptic and disinfectant [15].Strips of P.betulinus were cut and used for staunching bleeding and were also found to make very comfortable corn pads [16].Another example is the fungus Agaricus campestris Linnaeux ex Fries(field mushroom)found in the northern and southern temperate zones and the Caribbean.A.campestris,had reportedly been stewed in milk to soothe cancer of the throat [17]. As early as the 17th-18th century,lichens had been used as dyes and were far more valued thar in folklore has been well documented [18].Lichens have been used as the raw materials for perfumes and cosmetics,medicine from the time of the early Chinese and Egyptian civilizations ]Wel known examples include Usnea dillenius ex Adanson which was traditionally used for curing diseases of the scalp and is still sold in pharmacies as an ingredient in anti-dandruff shampoos and in Ireland to treat sore eyes 9].The lichenU.Stirton was mixed with tobacco and butter,boiled and then cooled and applied as a lotion [14].Parmelia omphalodes(Linnaeus)Acharius,which is abundant in the British Isles,was used in brown dyes.In the highlands it was traditionally sprinkled on stockings at the start of a journey to prevent inflammation of the feet [20,21]and in Ireland it was used as a cure for bad sores under the chin as well as for burns and cuts [14]. By comparison,the marine environment has very few reported applications in traditional medicine The red algae Chondrus crispus and Mastocarpus stellatus were sources of a beverage,which was popular as a folk cure for colds,sore throats,chest infections including tuberculosis.The alga was also boiled in milk or water and used for kidney trouble and burns [22,23].Furthermore,three spoonfuls of the juice of the red alga Porphyra umbilicalis (Linnaeus)Kutzing,taken every morning followed by fasting for three weeks was found to be effective against cancers,in particular breast cancer 24]. P.umbilicalis has also been described in the Aran Islands for easing indigestion.and was also boiled and given to cows to relieve their springtime constipation [10,25]. Metabolites 2012, 2 305 melezitose, sucrose and invert sugar and it has been documented and claimed by the Ayurvedic people that the plant aids in the treatment of anorexia, constipation, dermatosis, epistaxis, fever, leprosy, and obesity [8]. It was also used by the Israelis who boiled the roots and drank the extract as it stopped bloody diarrhea. The Konkani people smoked the plant for the treatment of asthma, whilst the Romans used the plant for nasal polyps [8]. The plant Ligusticum scoticum Linnaeus found in Northern Europe and Eastern North America was eaten raw first thing in the morning and was believed to protect a person from daily infection [9]; the root was a cure for flatulence [10–12], an aphrodisiac [12] and was used as a sedative in the Faeroe Islands [10,13]. Atropa belladonna Linnaeus (deadly nightshade) is found in central and Southern Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, North America and New Zealand. Its notoriously poisonous nature (three berries are sufficient to kill a child) firmly excluded it from the folk medicine compilation and seemed to have been accepted as dangerous to handle or to experiment with [14]. 1.3. Medicinal Natural Products from Other Sources Used in Folklore The fungus Piptoporus betulinus, which grows on birches was steamed to produce charcoal, valued as an antiseptic and disinfectant [15]. Strips of P. betulinus were cut and used for staunching bleeding and were also found to make very comfortable corn pads [16]. Another example is the fungus Agaricus campestris Linnaeux ex Fries (field mushroom) found in the northern and southern temperate zones and the Caribbean. A. campestris, had reportedly been stewed in milk to soothe cancer of the throat [17]. As early as the 17th–18th century, lichens had been used as dyes and were far more valued than oriental spices. To date there are no lichen derived drugs approved on the market but their applications in folklore has been well documented [18]. Lichens have been used as the raw materials for perfumes and cosmetics, medicine from the time of the early Chinese and Egyptian civilizations [19]. Well known examples include Usnea dillenius ex Adanson which was traditionally used for curing diseases of the scalp and is still sold in pharmacies as an ingredient in anti-dandruff shampoos and in Ireland to treat sore eyes [19]. The lichen U. subfloridana Stirton was mixed with tobacco and butter, boiled and then cooled and applied as a lotion [14]. Parmelia omphalodes (Linnaeus) Acharius, which is abundant in the British Isles, was used in brown dyes. In the highlands it was traditionally sprinkled on stockings at the start of a journey to prevent inflammation of the feet [20,21] and in Ireland it was used as a cure for bad sores under the chin as well as for burns and cuts [14]. By comparison, the marine environment has very few reported applications in traditional medicine. The red algae Chondrus crispus and Mastocarpus stellatus were sources of a beverage, which was popular as a folk cure for colds, sore throats, chest infections including tuberculosis. The alga was also boiled in milk or water and used for kidney trouble and burns [22,23]. Furthermore, three spoonfuls of the juice of the red alga Porphyra umbilicalis (Linnaeus) Kützing, taken every morning followed by fasting for three weeks was found to be effective against cancers, in particular breast cancer [24]. P. umbilicalis has also been described in the Aran Islands for easing indigestion. and was also boiled and given to cows to relieve their springtime constipation [10,25]