British plants

The UK has an incredibly diverse range of plants, flowers and trees. This is partly due to the importation of a huge variety of plants over the centuries, which is in part due to the British Empire and how far it sprawled across the continents.

Today, the British countryside has a plethora of incredible plants, some of which, much like Wolfsbane can seriously harm us, even kill us. While other’s can be used to help, like the innocent Rose Periwinkle which is the source of two important cancer treatment drugs. Surprisingly, some of these plants have properties that can both harm and help us, much like Foxglove, which is deadly poisonous, but it can also be used to create a drug for treating heart conditions.

Just take a look at some of the surprising properties these plants have!