Phytomedicines Herbal Drugs And Poisons

Plants have been used to treat disease throughout human history. Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons offers a richly illustrated, scientific guide to medicinal and poisonous plants, including those used for their mind-altering effects. The book covers approximately 300 species, from Aloe vera and Ephedra sinica to Cannabis sativa and Coffea Arabica, detailing their botanical, geographical, pharmacological, and toxicological data as well as the chemical structures of the active compounds in each.

Plants have been used to treat disease throughout human history. On a clay slab that dates back approximately five thousand years, the Sumerians recorded medicinal recipes that made use of hundreds of plants, including poppy, henbane, and mandrake. During the Middle Ages, monks commonly grew and prescribed plants such as sage, anise, and mint in their monasteries. And as the market for herbal remedies and natural medicine grows, we continue to search the globe for plants and plant compounds to combat our various ailments. In Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons, Ben-Erik van Wyk offers a richly illustrated, scientific guide to medicinal and poisonous plants, including those used for their mind-altering effects. Van Wyk covers approximately 350 species—from Aloe vera and Ephedra sinica to Cannabis sativa and Coffea arabica—detailing their botanical, geographical, pharmacological, and toxicological data as well as the chemical structures of the active compounds in each. Readers learn, for example, that Acacia senegal, or gum acacia, is used primarily in Sudan and Ethiopia as a topical ointment to protect the skin and mucosa from bacterial and fungal infections, and that Aconitum napellus, more commonly known as aconite, is used in cough syrups but can be psychedelic when smoked or absorbed through the skin. With 350 full-color photographs featuring the plants and some of their derivative products, Phytomedicines, Herbal Drugs, and Poisons will be an invaluable reference not only for those in the health care field but also for those growing their own medicinal herb gardens, as well as anyone who needs a quick answer to whether a plant is a panacea or a poison.

Phytomedicine has become more important and gained constant improvement today for the betterment of health. Herbal medicine plays a significant role in the development of new drugs, contrary to the modern medicinal systems. For more than a decade, there has been a drastic improvement in phytomedicine across the world. This growth has reached a higher level in development by pharmaceutical industries everywhere. People have drifted toward herbal medication and practices for their food and health care. Therefore, in order to create abundant interest in the research of phytosciences, this book is one of the better reference tools. The bioactive compounds in plants need to be explored to know the scientific value and therapeutic properties of the medicinal plants against many diseases. This book contains chapters that are relevant to the advanced research in herbal medicines and will enlighten readers to the importance of medicinal plants as daily sources of nutrition and cures for diseases. This book highlights the unique features of the plants that have not been studied so far for their therapeutic potential. To prove the efficacy of medicinal plants, they have to be studied, examined, and scientifically verified. Hence, this book will better serve the researchers working under different aspects of phytomedicine. Features * The information provided through scientific validation is useful to study the pharmacological activity of herbals and their administration in the modern era. * The readers can find clear understanding in the research and development of phytopharmaceutical drugs. * The ideas incorporated in each chapter reveal the knowledge gained in studying the biological activities of the compounds present in the plant, which are indeed most worthy for the development of drugs. * The harvesting of new ideology toward modern scientific technologies that are employed in the field of pharmacological research.

A guide of the most commonly used and best known SA medicinal plants including their botany, traditional uses and active ingredients

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.

For centuries herbs and spices have been an integral part of many of the world’s great cuisines. But spices have a history of doing much more than adding life to bland foods. They have been the inspiration for, among other things, trade, exploration, and poetry. Priests employed them in worship, incantations, and rituals, and shamans used them as charms to ward off evil spirits. Nations fought over access to and monopoly of certain spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, when they were rare commodities. Not only were many men’s fortunes made in the pursuit of spices, spices at many periods throughout history literally served as currency. In Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World, Ben-Erik van Wyk offers the first fully illustrated, scientific guide to nearly all commercial herbs and spices in existence. Van Wyk covers more than 150 species—from black pepper and blackcurrant to white mustard and white ginger—detailing the propagation, cultivation, and culinary uses of each. Introductory chapters capture the essence of culinary traditions, traditional herb and spice mixtures, preservation, presentation, and the chemistry of flavors, and individual entries include the chemical compounds and structures responsible for each spice or herb’s characteristic flavor. Many of the herbs and spices van Wyk covers are familiar fixtures in our own spice racks, but a few—especially those from Africa and China—will be introduced for the first time to American audiences. Van Wyk also offers a global view of the most famous use or signature dish for each herb or spice, satisfying the gourmand’s curiosity for more information about new dishes from little-known culinary traditions. People all over the world are becoming more sophisticated and demanding about what they eat and how it is prepared. Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World will appeal to those inquisitive foodies in addition to gardeners and botanists.

This richly illustrated reference guide treats the subject of herbal medicines in an integrated fashion with reference to pharmacognosy, pharmacology and toxicology. It will help to enable internists, phytotherapists, physicians, healthcare practitioners as well as students to understand why, when and how herbal medicines can be used in the treatment of diseases. A great deal of pathology and therapeutic information is also included. Numerous tables as well as figures clarify complex mechanisms and other information. The most important medicinal plants and drugs are illustrated with exceptional color plates.