I am a lover of all things beautiful. I've tried my hand at many things: music, biology, chemistry, horticulture and agriculture. I finally fell into gardening and I do that for a living currently. My profession brings me into contact daily with one of my many interests: Plants. Of course gardening focuses on only the aesthetic aspect of plants. Granted, the sensory pleasure we derive from plants is perfectly legitimate and is probably the aspect that caused early humans to develop such an intimate relationship with them and unwittingly become the powerful vehicle for their evolution that we have become. Interesting to think of humans as being nothing more than pollinators! Some of us realize though that plants are far more than mere ornaments, and my curiosity has led me to explore, study, and utilize their vast storehouse of knowledge. As "Western" culture breaks down our separation from plants will probably also break down, and we will no longer rely on the pharmaceutical giants to produce medicines. I find it crucial that we learn (or relearn) the secrets and alliances between us and plants when it becomes necessary to shed the corporate skin that has been forced upon us since birth.