Dr. Spelman, besides clinical work, has spearheaded research on a number of plants: Taraxacum officinale (diuresis); Spilanthes acmella and Zanthoxylum chiloperone (malaria); Echinacea spp. (immunology & metabolism); Trifolium pratense and Ceanothus spp. (brain and ovarian cancer); Zanthoxylum species (CB1 & CB2 binding); Cannabis sativa (extraction); Verbascum spp., Ligusticum spp., Actaea spp., Eriodictyon spp., Schisandra spp. (chemical comparisons of species); and researched other plant activities such as p53, cytokine, integrin, and nitric oxide activity. He fully embraces the potential of plants in healthcare.