hmmm...as someone who practices herbalism, I am not completely against the isolation of plant constituents for use in medicine...some good stuff has come from it (such as taxol, from the yew tree.) However, I would prefer people just use THE WHOLE PLANT and not isolate the compounds when given a choice. I think the use of biochemistry to try to isolate particular plant compounds reduces our connection to nature and once again puts money in the hands of biotechnology. People lose their connection and sense of empowerment when they are reduced to taking western based medicine to cure their "ills."

However, I am completely against GMO foods. There was a place we would camp down in Puna district on Hawai'i where you wouldn't want to eat ANY of the fruit in the area because UH@Hilo was doing GMO research there. They have huge papaya plantations in the area.

ICK!