Parts of a plant
Active substances are unequally distributed among the diverse parts or organs of a plant, because of the specialization of its cells. In some cases, all parts of a plant contain the same active principles, and there is no difference in which part to use However, of it we may also find the following cases: *The medicinal active ingredients are concentrated in a single part of a plant for instance, only ginseng root contains invigorating substances. * That each part of a plant produces different properties. On orange trees, the flowers are sedative and the fruits are invigorating, while the orange tree bark has digestive and appetizer properties. * That some parts of a plant produce medicinal substances, while others produce toxic elements instead. This is the case with the root of common comfrey, which is an excellent cicatrizant( wound healing agent) because of its content in alanotoine, while its stem and leaves contain a toxic alkaloid that makes these parts quite poisonous.