Toxins

TOXINS: HAZARDOUS OR BENEFICIAL? Toxins are present in plants and foods that we eat. Do toxins have a purpose besides simply making us sick, and if so what is their purpose? In this paper, I will focus on how toxins affect our body and how toxins evolved over the years. Research has shown that toxins are a plants defense against herbivores in their effort to survive (Nesse and Williams, 1995). There are countless toxins present because …

…along with how and why they make herbivores sick. It was very interesting to learn how plants can actually communicate in their efforts to survive against herbivore predators by using toxins. I never considered before the evolutionary reasons for the existence of toxins as well as their potential benefits for curing diseases such as cancer. I hope someday to be able to do further research on toxins and their benefits in the war against cancer.