CHEM 101 Homework Assignment – What is it?

For this assignment, select one of the following:

A. More and more people are using herbal medicines for therapeutic purposes. For this assignment, investigate the topic of herbal medicines and write a 2 – 3 page essay which addresses the following:

1. What are “herbal medicines”?

2. How are they regulated?

3. What are five examples of “herbal medicines” available today?

Next, pick one example from question #3 above and continue your essay, answering the following additional questions about your example:

4. What are the US sales (in $) of this herbal medicine?

5. What is the therapeutic benefit of your herbal medicine example (i. e. what is it supposed to do?)

6. What evidence is there to support this therapeutic benefit (or these benefits, if there are more than one)?

7. Are there any side effects possible using this herbal medicine?

8. Are there any OTC or prescription drugs which have the same therapeutic benefit? If so, how does the efficacy of this herbal medicine compare to that OTC or prescription drug?

9. Would you take this herbal medicine? Why or why not?

B. Look around your house, apartment, or dorm room. Do you have any personal care products (shampoo, soap, lotion, cosmetics), cleaning products, or food?

For this assignment, pick a product from around your house containing at least three ingredients excluding water (if your product has more than three ingredients, just pick three from the list) and write a 1 page essay for each ingredient (3 pages total) describing that ingredient. Answer the following questions in your essay:

1. How is the ingredient manufactured?

2. What are the physical and chemical properties of the ingredient?

3. What can you find out about the toxicity of the ingredient?

4. What are some other uses for the ingredient?

Turn in your paper on the due date indicated on the course schedule (chem.winthrop.edu).

The paper will be graded for content and writing using the homework grading rubric on Dr. Hanna’s CHEM 101 page at chem.winthrop.edu

This assignment must be typed using a 12-pt font, doubled spaced, with no more than 1 inch margins.