Medicinal Plants Of Asia And The Pacific

Drawing on the author's extensive personal experience, Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific provides comprehensive coverage of the medicinal plants of the region. Describing more than 300 compounds, the book discusses every important class of natural products while highlighting cutting-edge research and recent developments. With its broa

' This invaluable book provides a readable, introductory text to the fascinating subject of drug discovery from the medicinal plants of Asia-Pacific. A carefully designed layout presents more than 400 medicinal plants, and includes description of compound structure, molecular properties, pharmacology and clinical uses. With its broad scope and extensive compound listings, this is a premier reference source for natural products research using a pharmacological approach. Starting from a collection of plants in the rainforests of Asia-Pacific, Wiart shows how the present state of knowledge fosters a whole new way of looking at the discovery of drugs from medicinal plants. Wiart uses his approach to deal with a remarkable array of fundamental problems: from the phylogeny of plants, to the molecular basis of activity, limitations of phytochemistry, and the possibility of a truly fundamental theory of ethnopharmacology. Written with exceptional clarity, and illustrated by more than 300 original pictures and 400 chemical structures, this seminal book allows scientists and non-scientists alike to participate in what promises to be a major intellectual revolution. Contents:Class MAGNOLIOPSIDA Cronquist, Takhtajan & Zimmermann, 1966, the Dicotyledons:Subclass MAGNOLIIDAE Takhtajan 1966Subclass HAMAMELIDAE Takhtajan 1966Subclass CARYOPHYLLIDAE Takhtajan 1966Subclass DILLENIIDAE Takhtajan 1966Subclass ROSIDAE Takhtajan 1966Subclass ASTERIDAE Takhtajan 1966Class LILIOPSIDA Cronquist, Takhtajan & Zimmermann 1966, the Monocotyledons:Subclass ARECIDAE Takhtajan 1966Subclass COMMELINIDAE Takhtajan 1966Subclass ZINGIBERIDAE Cronquist 1978Subclass LILIIDAE Takhtajan 1966 Readership: Students, academics and researchers in pharmacology, toxicology, biotechnology, natural product research, medicinal chemistry, oncology, microbiology, alternative medicine and food sciences; pharmaceutical companies. Keywords:Drug Discovery;Medicinal Plants;Asia-Pacific;EthnopharmacologyKey Features:This book offers, for the very first time, a systematic and a comprehensive coverage of medicinal plants of the Asia-Pacific, one of the richest regions in biodiversityIt is a premier source of reference on traditional medicinal herbs and development of drugs from natural resourcesIt provides a detailed and fascinating ethnopharmacological account of over 400 plant species, illustrated with more than 300 original picture, 400 chemical structures, and contains thousands of referencesReviews: “Christophe Wiart has produced a magnificent book covering all pertinent aspects of the potential medicinal plants of the Asia-Pacific Region. Plants (dicots and moncots) are organized by class, subclass, order, family, genus and species. More than 315 species of plants are included in this tome. Botanical descriptions are first given for each family with a general statement of the potential pharmaceutical interest for the family, followed by discussions of the physical characteristics of each species, uses in the region and pharmaceutical interests in the species; the pharmacology, including potential toxicity, of extracts of each plant and an indication of the major pharmacologically active principles, with their structures are mentioned. Photographs and/or line drawings are included for each species … I have never seen such a book that has been this carefully prepared, so botanists, chemists, pharmacognosists, and pharmacologists having any interest in the medicinal or potentially medicinal higher plants of the Asia-Pacific Region, will be satisfied in the book content. The book will be found useful by academic, industrial and government scientists having any interest in the potential of plants as a source of new drugs.” Professor Norman Farnsworth University of Illinois at Chicago, USA “It will be an invaluable resource for doctors, pharmacists, plant scientists, pharmaceutical companies and conservationists in the region, and to all who are interested in medicinal plants.” Professor Nina L Etkin University of Hawaii, USA “‘Medicinal plants of Asia-Pacific: Drugs for the Future?’ offers researchers a strong foundation from which to advance the field of ethnopharmacology.” Professor Elizabeth M Williamson University of Reading, UK '

In 1860, Oliver Wendell Holmes pointedly expressed himself to the Massachusetts Medical Society: “I firmly believe that if the whole Material Medica, as now used, could be sunk to the bottom of the sea, it would be all the better for mankind, and all the worst for the fishes.” Should one think the same about the current approach in drug discovery from plants? Probably yes. Despite the spending of billions of US dollars, and three decades of efforts, high-throughput screenings have only allowed the discovery of a couple of drugs. One could have reasonably expected the discovery of an arsenal of drugs from the millions of plant extracts randomly tested, but “hits” can be inactive in vitro or too toxic, some molecules need to be metabolized first to be active, and false-positive and false-negative results are common. The bitter truth is that the robotic approach in discovering drugs from plants has proven, to date, its inability to excavate the hundreds of molecules that will contribute to the health progress of Man. However, one can reasonably see that the last patches of primary rainforest on earth hold still hundreds of spectacularly active drugs that await discovery.

Drawing on the author’s extensive personal experience, Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific provides comprehensive coverage of the medicinal plants of the region. Describing more than 300 compounds, the book discusses every important class of natural products while highlighting cutting-edge research and recent developments. With its broad scope and extensive compound listings, the presentation and approach of the book is completely original.

Medicinal Plants in the Asia Pacific for Zoonotic Pandemics provides an unprecedented, comprehensive overview of the phylogeny, botany, ethnopharmacology, and pharmacology of more than 100 plants used in the traditional medical systems of Asia and Pacific. It discusses their actions and potentials against viruses, bacteria, and fungi that represent a threat of epidemic and pandemic diseases, with an emphasis on the molecular basis and cellular pathways. This book presents scientific names, the botanical classification, traditional medicinal uses, active chemical constituents, and pharmacology. This volume is a critical reference for anyone involved in the discovery of lead molecules or phytopharmaceutical products for the prevention or treatment of pandemic viral, bacterial, or fungal infections. FEATURES Phylogenetic presentation of medicinal plants and a chemotaxonomical rationale of antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal actions Discusses the chemical structure–activity relationship, pharmacokinetics, and oral bioavailability of antimicrobial principles Introduces the molecular mechanism of natural products on viruses, bacteria, and fungi Contains a selection of botanical plates and useful bibliographic references This book is a useful research tool for postgraduates, academics, and the pharmaceutical, herbal, and nutrition industries. Medicinal Plants in the Asia Pacific for Zoonotic Pandemics includes commentary sections that invite further research and reflection on the fascinating and timely subject of the development of drugs and herbals from Asia-Pacific medicinal plants to safeguard humanity and other life forms against the forthcoming waves of viral, bacterial, or fungal pandemics. This book is an ideal reference text for medicinal plant enthusiasts.

Medicinal Plants in Asia and Pacific for Parasitic Infections: Botany, Ethnopharmacology, Molecular Basis, and Future Prospect offers an in-depth view into antiprotozoal pharmacology of natural products from medicinal plants in Asia with an emphasis on their molecular basis, cellular pathways, and cellular targets. This book provides scientific names, botanical classifications, botanical description, medicinal uses, chemical constituents and antiprotozoal activity of more than 100 Asian medicinal plants, with high quality original botanical plates, chemical structures, and pharmacological diagrams and lists hundreds of carefully selected references. It also examines the pharmacological and medicinal applications of Asian medicinal plants especially in drug development for protozoan prevention and treatment. Medicinal Plants in Asia and Pacific for Parasitic Infections is a research tool and resource for the discovery of leads for the treatment of protozoal diseases based on interrelated botanical, biochemical, ethnopharmacological, phylogenetic, pharmacological, and chemical information. A critical reference for any researcher involved in the discovery of leads for the treatment of antiprotozoal leads From Asian medicinal plants Written by an expert in the field, this truly unique text fills an important niche do to the increasing global interest in botanical drugs Provide scientific names, botanical classification, botanical description, medicinal uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological activity of more than 100 Asian plants

This book continues as volume 5 of a multicompendium on Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. It covers edible fruits/seeds used fresh, cooked or processed as vegetables, cereals, spices, stimulant, edible oils and beverages. It covers selected species from the following families: Apiaceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cunoniaceae, Lythraceae, Papaveraceae, Poaceae, Polygalaceae, Polygonaceae, Proteaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rubiaceae, Salicaceae, Santalaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae and Zingiberaceae. This work will be of significant interest to scientists, medical practitioners, pharmacologists, ethnobotanists, horticulturists, food nutritionists, botanists, agriculturists, conservationists, lecturers, students and the general public. Topics covered include: taxonomy; common/English and vernacular names; origin and distribution; agroecology; edible plant parts and uses; botany; nutritive/pharmacological properties, medicinal uses, nonedible uses; and selected references.