Researchers have gathered data to indicate that 70% of new drugs in the last 25 years are inspired or directly derived from nature.

David Newman, DPhil, and Gordon Cragg, PhD compiled the data while working for the natural products branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).   After reviewed all new drugs approved from January 1981 through June 2006 for all diseases worldwide., their  list included 1,184 new drugs for a wide range of conditions.

And while they say that 30% of the new drugs are synthetic they admit more drugs can come from nature.

"Much of nature's 'treasure trove of small molecules' remains to be explored," write Newman and Cragg. They note that the sea and microbes may hold promise for new drugs.

And when it comes to the latest health treatments, they say going to back to nature is best.  Newman and Cragg write that they "strongly advocate expanding, not decreasing, the exploration of nature" in the search for new drugs. Their review is in the Journal of Natural Products.

SOURCE: WebMD Article; Most New Drugs Tapped From Nature; http://www.webmd.com/news/20070316/most-new-drugs-tapped-from-nature