Reading

1. | GW. Give your comments on the text sharing and relating your ideas about health problems to the real life.

Natural medicine

Natural medicine has been used for thousands of years. Do you know, for example, that aspirin was originally made from the bark of the willow tree? In the 5th century BC the Greek doctor, Hippocrates, gave it to his patients to stop their aches and pains.

Another natural remedy is quinine, which used to be an important drug in the battle against malaria. It comes from the bark of the cinchona tree, which grows in the Andes in South America. Quinine has been used for centuries to cure fever by Peruvian Indians and other people. In 1775 a British doctor, William Withering, was unable to treat a patient who had a serious heart problem. However the patient made a complete recovery after taking something local woman had given him. The woman told the doctor she’d made the remedy from purple foxgloves. This natural medicine is still given to people with heart problems because it makes your heart beat more slowly.

Many of the most effective natural remedies can be found in our homes and gardens. Put some lavender oil on your pillow at night to help you sleep. Or break open the leaves from an aloe vera plant and put the sap on your burns or cuts. This will help them to heal and might also stop you getting a scar*. The Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, used aloe vera, this remarkable plant to keep her skin soft and young-looking. Finally, we mustn’t forget the healing power of garlic. It thins and cleans the blood, and it has been used for stomach problems and coughs for many years, and it’s a natural antiseptic. So next time you have a cold, try a mixture of garlic, lemon and honey. It’s magic!

2. IW. Change one word in each sentence to make it correct.
1. Aspirin was originally made from the bark of the willow tree.
2. Quinine came from a tree in India.
3. Dr Withering heard about foxglove from a patient.
4. Cleopatra used to put aloe vera on her food.
5. If you have a back problem, try taking garlic.
3. PW/GW. Think and match 1-8 with the health problems: a - h.

a) heart problems c) hair fall e) burns and cuts g) skin | b) stomach d) fever f) insomnia* h) cold

1. raisin 3. saffron 5. garlic 7. foxglove | 2. almond 4.lavender 6. aloe vera 8. cinchona tree

*insomnia-sleep problems
*scar - trace, tear