Medicinal Plants Of East And Southeast Asia

Non-Aboriginal material.

"This specialist volume details 290 medicinal plant species from areas as diverse as East Africa to Western USA; importantly it comprehensively correlates their botany, ethnomedicine, natural product chemistry and biosynthesis, pharmacological properties and pharmaceutical potential."--Foreword.

This unique book provides a comprehensive picture of the vivid kaleidoscope of traditional medicine in Asia presented by 34 eminent authors from 15 countries belonging to the different systems like Ayurveda and Chinese Traditional Medicine. Important emerging areas such as harmonization of the traditional systems with modern medicine and the growing role of these systems in the health care structure of countries are also dealt with. Legislation and regulation of these systems and practitioners, an area of growing concern, the need for good preclinical toxicology studies and scientific clinical evaluation of the products and medicinal plants used for therapy are exhaustingly dealt with. The vital issue of protection of traditional systems of medicine and patenting of medicinal plants is discussed in detail. The book is replete with suggestions, and ideas aimed at making traditional systems more effectively, and more widely used for health care. The book also covers the prevailing situation regarding the use and other aspects of traditional medicine in the 10 Member countries of the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organization.

' 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 '

This unique book brings together a wealth of data on the botanical, ethno-medicinal and pharmacological aspects of over 500 species of Asian medicinal orchids. It starts off by explaining the role and limitations of complimentary and herbal medicines, and how traditional Asian medicine differs from Western, “scientific” medicine. The different Asian medical traditions are described, as well as their modes of preparing herbal remedies. The core of the book presents individual medicinal orchid species arranged by genera. Each species is identified by its official botanical name, synonyms, and local names. Its distribution, habitat and flowering season, uses and pharmacology are described. An overview sums up the research findings on all species within each genus. Clinical observations are discussed whenever available, and possible therapeutic applications are highlighted. The book closes with chapters on the conservation of medicinal orchids and on the role of randomized clinical trials.