Phytopharmacy

Healthcare professionals, including doctors, pharmacists and nurses, are often confronted with patients who use over-the-counter (OTC) herbal medicinal products and food supplements. While taking responsibility for one’s own health and treatment options is encouraged, many patients use these products based on limited (and sometimes inaccurate) information from non-scientific sources, such as the popular press and internet. There is a clear need to offer balanced, well-informed advice to patients, yet a number of studies have shown that, generally, conventionally trained health practitioners consider their knowledge about herbal medicinal products and supplements to be weak. Phytopharmacy fills this knowledge gap, and is intended for use by the busy pharmacist, nurse, or doctor, as well as the ‘expert patient’ and students of pharmacy and herbal medicine. It presents clear, practical and concise monographs on over a hundred popular herbal medicines and plant-based food supplements. Information provided in each monograph includes: • Indications • Summary and appraisal of clinical and pre-clinical evidence • Potential interactions • Contraindications • Possible adverse effects An overview of the current regulatory framework is also outlined, notably the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive. This stipulates that only licensed products or registered traditional herbal medicinal products (THRs), which have assured quality and safety, can now legally be sold OTC. Monographs are included of most of the major herbal ingredients found in THRs, and also some plant-based food supplements, which while not strictly medicines, may also have the potential to exert a physiological effect.

Healthcare professionals, including doctors, pharmacists and nurses, are often confronted with patients who use over-the-counter (OTC) herbal medicinal products and food supplements. While taking responsibility for one’s own health and treatment options is encouraged, many patients use these products based on limited (and sometimes inaccurate) information from non-scientific sources, such as the popular press and internet. There is a clear need to offer balanced, well-informed advice to patients, yet a number of studies have shown that, generally, conventionally trained health practitioners consider their knowledge about herbal medicinal products and supplements to be weak. Phytopharmacy fills this knowledge gap, and is intended for use by the busy pharmacist, nurse, or doctor, as well as the ‘expert patient’ and students of pharmacy and herbal medicine. It presents clear, practical and concise monographs on over a hundred popular herbal medicines and plant-based food supplements. Information provided in each monograph includes: • Indications • Summary and appraisal of clinical and pre-clinical evidence • Potential interactions • Contraindications • Possible adverse effects An overview of the current regulatory framework is also outlined, notably the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive. This stipulates that only licensed products or registered traditional herbal medicinal products (THRs), which have assured quality and safety, can now legally be sold OTC. Monographs are included of most of the major herbal ingredients found in THRs, and also some plant-based food supplements, which while not strictly medicines, may also have the potential to exert a physiological effect.

Preparation of Phytopharmaceuticals for the Management of Disorders: The Development of Nutraceuticals and Traditional Medicine presents comprehensive coverage and recent advances surrounding phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and traditional and alternative systems of medicines. Sections cover the concepts of phytopharmaceuticals, their history, and current highlights in phytomedicine. Also included are classifications of crude drugs, herbal remedies and toxicity, traditional and alternative systems of medicine, nanotechnology applications, and herbal cosmeticology. Final sections cover applications of microbiology and biotechnology in drug discovery. This book provides key information for everyone interested in drug discovery, including medicinal chemists, nutritionists, biochemists, toxicologists, drug developers and health care professionals. Students, professors and researchers working in the area of pharmaceutical sciences and beyond will also find the book useful. Includes the history and current highlights in phytomedicine, along with classifications of crude drugs, herbal drug technologies and herbal cosmeticology Provides detailed information on herbal remedies and toxicity, traditional and alternative systems of medicine, and applications of microbiology and biotechnology in drug discovery Discusses the nutritional and health benefits of nutraceuticals and how they help in the management and treatment of metabolic diseases

Medicinal plants contain a variety of bioactive compounds, (also referred to as phytochemicals). in the leaves, stems, flowers and fruits. This book covers these bioactive compounds, their available sources, how the bioactive molecules are isolated from the plants, the biochemistry, structural composition and potential biological activities. Also discussed are the pharmacological aspects of medicinal plants, phytochemistry and biological activities of different natural products, ethnobotany and medicinal properties, as well as a novel dietary approach for various disease management and therapeutic potential. The importance of phytopharmaceutical of plants and potential applications in the food and pharma industries is highlighted.

Drugs from plants are a major contribution to world health. Their production involves machinery, workers, quality control, standards, and legislation. Phytopharmaceutical Technology is a practical reference volume that provides the basic information necessary to select and operate machinery and to process plant products through to the desired liquid, solid, or powdered drug form. As a result, much of the book is devoted to the production process. Topics discussed include plants and plant parts; converting plants to medicinal forms; tips on handling incoming plant materials, including quality, pests, residues, analytical techniques and legislation; solvents for extraction, chemical data and notes regarding selection and use; and production processes, including grading (sorting), size reduction (comminution), extraction, concentration, purification, and drying. The book also contains details regarding the dozens of types of machinery that can be used, as well as drawings, including cross-sections and schematics of the working action. Quality assurance, standardization, and regulation is also discussed. Phytopharmaceutical Technology is a handy reference tool for engineers and industrial chemists in the plant drug processing industry, as well as excellent reading for university students.

Pushed by the increase in the knowledge of herbal drug constituents, their effects, and side effects, many herbal products are undergoing a transition from classic herbal teas to standardized extracts. This new edition takes the advances made in medicinal plants research and phytotherapy into account and offers reliable and essential information. It offers comprehensive discussion of the origins, constituents, effects, indications, and dosage of herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals. The text also includes phytopharmaceutical information such as types of extraction solvents, drug-to-extract ratios, and dosage recommendations for extracts.

New Look to Phytomedicine: Advancements in Herbal Products as Novel Drug Leads is a compilation of in-depth information on the phytopharmaceuticals used in modern medicine for the cure and management of difficult-to-treat and challenging diseases. Readers will find cutting-edge knowledge on the use of plant products with scientific validation, along with updates on advanced herbal medicine in pharmacokinetics and drug delivery. This authoritative book is a comprehensive collection of research based, scientific validations of bioactivities of plant products, such as anti-infective, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, immune-modulatory and metabolic disorders presented by experts from across the globe. Step-by-step information is presented on chemistry, bioactivity and the functional aspects of biologically active compounds. In addition, the pharmacognosy of plant products with mechanistic descriptions of their actions, including pathogenicity is updated with information on the use of nanotechnology and molecular tools in relation to herbal drug research. Compiles up-to-date information on the chemotherapeutics used in the treatment of infective and metabolic disorders Presents advancements in the discovery of new drugs from plants using molecular and nanotechnology tools Examines detailed information on the use of herbals agents in cancer, HIV and other ailments, including diabetes, malaria and neurological disorders