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Published online 18 June 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040614-
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Bitterness illuminates plant lore
Use of herbal medicines may have arisen by accident.
From the 41st Animal Behavior Society meeting, Oaxaca, Mexico
Devoteesof herbal supplements claim a bewildering array of health benefits from the plant-based pills. But how were these effects discovered? A new theory suggests how people might have begun eating certain plants without knowing about their medicinal effects.
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