Why Do We Need Plants?

Humans and plants have always depended on each other. Even though we encounter plants everyday on the streets, the park, or at our homes, not everyone knows the true importance of them. Plants provide humans with oxygen(through photosynthesis), give us food, and serve as a source of material for many objects we use. We exhale carbon dioxide which plants need for photosynthesis and spread their seeds. Here are 5 reasons we need plants.

1. Food- Plants are the source to an important source of energy for our bodies. Several thousands of plant species have been cultivated and used as school. Several products such as rice and wheat, which we use or eat daily, would not have existed without plants. We are not the only species who depend on plants: animals do as well.

2. Air- Oxygen is vital for our cells to produce energy and for us to live.Plants absorb the sunlight and produce energy through photosynthesis and release oxygen into the air. Humans take inhale that very oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide which plants need. Plants and humans rely on each other for survival.

3. Medicine- Much of the prescription that we use today when we are sick comes from plant compounds or extracts. Some examples include mint which have metha that is used in muscle creams. nasal medicine, and throat lozenges and chamomile which is used as an anxiolytic and sedative for anxiety. Ginger is used for motion sickness and ginkgo leaf extract is used for conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and tinnitus.

4. Clothing- Lots of our common clothing materials all derive from plants. These include cotton, hemp, flax, jute, and ramie. Cotton is made from fibers that grow around the seed of the cotton plant and is well known for being soft and stretchy.

5. Shelter- Our ancestors have used plants to secure their homes as well and develop new techniques using them. They used wood planks, grasses, pond fronds, and grasses to create their habitat. As of now, our shelters are still technically made of plants. Hemp,wool, straws, and planks of woods are all different sources of materials that we see in buildings for their structure or insulation.