Medicinal Plants Recent Advances In Research And Development

Since ancient times, plants have been used as a prime natural source of alternative medicines and have played an important role in our lives. The old tradition of medicinal plant application has turned into a highly profitable business in the global market, resulting in the release of a large number of herbal products. People have tried to find different sources of medicines to alleviate pain and cure different illnesses. Due to severe constraints of synthetic drugs and the increasing contraindications of their usage, there is a growing interest world over in the usage of natural products based on medicinal herbs, hence, there is an ever expanding market of herbs and herbal based medicinal preparations all over the world. This has culminated into an exponential increase in number of research groups in different geographical locations and generation of volume of research data in the field in a short span of time. The path breaking advancement in research methods and interdisciplinary approaches is giving birth to newer perspectives. Therefore, it becomes imperative to keep pace with the advancement in research and development in the field of medicinal herbs. There are a large number of researchers in different parts of the world working on various aspects of medicinal plants and ‘herbal medicines’. The idea is to bring their recent research work into light in the form of a book. The proposed book contains chapters by the eminent researchers in different countries and working with different disciplines of medicinal plants. Articles pertain to different disciplines such as: 1. Resources and conservation of medicinal plants 2. Biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of medicinal plants 3. Tissue culture, propagation and bioreactor technology of medicinal plants 4. Phytochemical research on medicinal plants 5. Herbal medicines and plant-derived agents in cancer prevention and therapy 6. Herbal medicines and plant-derived agents in metabolic syndrome management 7. Herbal medicines and plant-derived agents in modulation of immune-related disorders 8. Herbal medicines and hepatotoxicity The book will prove itself an asset for the researchers, professionals and also students in the area of medicinal plants and mechanism of their action.

This book highlights the latest international research on different aspects of medicinal plants and fungi. Studies over the last decade have demonstrated that bioactive compounds isolated from medicinal fungi have promising antitumor, cardiovascular, immunomodulatory, anti-allergic, anti-diabetic, and hepatoprotective properties. In the light of these studies, the book includes chapters (mostly review articles) by eminent researchers from twelve countries across the globe working in different disciplines of medicinal plants and fungi. It discusses topics such as the prevention of major neurodegenerative and neurotoxic mechanisms by Centella asiatica; the medicinal properties and therapeutic applications of several mushrooms species found in different parts of the world; and fungal endophytes as a source of bioactive metabolites including anticancer and cardioprotective agents. There are also chapters on strategies for identifying bioactive secondary metabolites of fungal origin; the use of genomic information to explore the biotechnological potential of medicinal mushrooms; and solid state fermentation of agro-industrial and forestry residues for the production of medicinal mushrooms. It is a valuable resource for the researchers, professionals and students working in the area of medicinal plants and fungi.

Plants and other living organisms have great potential to treat human disease. There are two distinct types of biomedical research that seek to develop this potential. One type of research explores the value of medicinal plants as traditionally used and studies of these plants have the potential to determine which plants are most potent, optimize dosages and dose forms, and identify safety risks. Another type of research uses bioassays to identify single molecules from plants that have interesting bioactivities in isolation and might be useful lead compounds for the development of pharmaceutical drugs. This new volume of Advances in Botanical Research covers the recent trends in Medicinal Plants Research over 11 chapters. Topics that are covered include Development of Drugs from Plants – Regulation and Evaluation, Chinese Herbal Medicines for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Taxol, camptothecin and beyond for cancer therapy. Covers the recent trends in medicinal plants research over 11 chapters Topics that are covered include Development of Drugs from Plants – Regulation and Evaluation, Chinese Herbal Medicines for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Taxol, camptothecin and beyond for cancer therapy

Phytomedicines have been playing an important role since the beginning of civilisation, curing many diseases and alleviating different symptoms for the wellbeing of humans and animals. The millenary history of medicinal plant use and its derivatives give credibility to the development of new and advanced pharmaceutical forms of phytomedicines, which may play an important role in social medicine for developing countries. A renewed interest for herbal medicines and phytomedicine has been observed in recent years. However, adulteration and misidentification of crude drugs still exist. Thus, the development of standardisation and quality control of herbal medicines needs to be prioritised at the earliest stage. Furthermore, the increasing demand for natural food antioxidants has fostered worldwide research for extracting biologically active substances from a variety of raw vegetal materials. However, the modern use of plant-derived medicines must be based on reliable and reproductive processes as well as manufacturing techniques to preserve chemical composition and therapeutic effectiveness of the plant extract. This can be achieved only through the knowledge and scientific approach to all steps involved in phytomedicine production, such as the pharmacognostic evaluation, extraction process, drying of the extracts and pharmacotechnical preparation of the final pharmaceutical form. This book compiles recent advances in the pharmaceutical industrial process and phytomedicine carries development. It is suitable for different levels of undergraduate study and/or the facilitation of pharmaceutical industrial processes.

The purpose of this book is to discuss several medicinal plants to find wider application in the domain of medicinal, clinical, and pharmaceutical treatment. Recent Advances in Plant-Based, Traditional, and Natural Medicines serves as a useful source of ideas and an inspiration for further cell and molecular biology research toward developing drugs and treatments from these traditional and plant-based remedies. The book covers a variety of topics and: - Considers the current state of research of traditional and plant-based medicines - Covers the current status of ethnomedicine and medicinal plant discovery - Presents the clinical applications of traditional and plant-based medicines

Traditional systems of medicine are fast emerging as viable alternatives to modern medical science. Further, in recent years the emphasis on botanicals as source for drug discovery and development has been realized globally. Added to this, the safer profile of herbal drugs combined with their low costs make them ideal targets for newer drugs. As in the modern system of medicine, viz. allopathy, herbal drugs form an inseparable part of the management of various disorders. The concept of scientific validation of the basis of traditional uses of herbal medicines has given birth to a new concept of reverse pharmacology, and interactions between traditional and modern systems of medicine are being increasingly encouraged. Recent Trends in Herbal Drug Research and Therapy showcases some of these crucial and emerging issues relating to herbal drugs. This compilation is a judicious combination of research and conventional aspects on the subject of herbal drugs, their pharmacology and therapeutic applications. Some very relevant general and systemic pharmacological as well as toxicological aspects have been highlighted by some of the leading experts in this field. The book will be of interest to students, scientists, teachers and other health professionals in the area of pharmacology, toxicology and allied health sciences. Spread in 26 chapters the book broadly focuses on: * Standardization and quality control of herbal drugs * Regulatory issues like ethics and pharmacovigilance with herbals * Clinical research with herbal drugs * Herbogenomics * Herb-drug interactions * Potential therapeutics uses of herbal drugs focusing on various systemic disorders of cardiorespiratory, endocrinal, neuropsychiatric gastrointestinal systems and cancer * Herbal drugs and environmental toxicology

Stay up-to-date with this important contribution to rationalized botanical medicine The Handbook of Medicinal Plants explores state-of-the-art developments in the field of botanical medicine. Nineteen experts from around the world provide vital information on natural products and herbal medicines—from their earliest relevance in various cultures to today’s cutting-edge biotechnologies. Educated readers, practitioners, and academics of natural sciences will benefit from the text’s rich list of references as well as numerous tables, figures, and color photographs and illustrations. The Handbook of Medicinal Plants is divided into three main sections. The first section covers the use of herbal medicines throughout history in China, Australia, the Americas, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, emphasizing the need for future medicinal plant research. The second section discusses the latest technologies in production and breeding, crop improvement, farming, and plant research. The third section focuses on groundbreaking advances in the medicinal application of therapeutic herbs. In the Handbook of Medicinal Plants, you will gain new knowledge about: recent research and development in Chinese herbal medicine modern methods of evaluating the efficacy of medicinal plants by “screening” the newest developments of in vitro cultivation prevention and therapy of cancer and other diseases using medicinal plants the challenges and threats to medicinal plant research today trends in phytomedicine in the new millennium The Handbook of Medicinal Plants demonstrates the global relevance of sharing local knowledge about phytomedicines, and highlights the need to make information on plants available on a worldwide basis. With this book, you can help meet the challenge to find scientifically rationalized medicines that are safer, more effective, and readily available to patients from all walks of life.

This timely and original handbook paves the way to success in plant-based drug development, systematically addressing the issues facing a pharmaceutical scientist who wants to turn a plant compound into a safe and effective drug. Plant pharmacologists from around the world demonstrate the potentials and pitfalls involved, with many of the studies and experiments reported here published for the first time. The result is a valuable source of information unavailable elsewhere.