Toxicological Survey Of African Medicinal Plants

Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants provides a detailed overview of toxicological studies relating to traditionally used medicinal plants in Africa, with special emphasis on the methodologies and tools used for data collection and interpretation. The book considers the physical parameters of these plants and their effect upon various areas of the body and human health, including chapters dedicated to genotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and specific organs and systems. Following this discussion of the effects of medicinal plants is a critical review of the guidelines and methods in use for toxicological research as well as the state of toxicology studies in Africa. With up-to-date research provided by a team of experts, Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants is an invaluable resource for researchers and students involved in pharmacology, toxicology, phytochemistry, medicine, pharmacognosy, and pharmaceutical biology. Offers a critical review of the methods used in toxicological survey of medicinal plants Provides up-to-date toxicological data on African medicinal plants and families Serves as a resource tool for students and scientists in the various areas of toxicology

With over 50,000 distinct species in sub-Saharan Africa alone, the African continent is endowed with an enormous wealth of plant resources. While more than 25 percent of known species have been used for several centuries in traditional African medicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases, Africa remains a minor player in the global natural products market largely due to lack of practical information. This updated and expanded second edition of the Handbook of African Medicinal Plants provides a comprehensive review of more than 2,000 species of plants employed in indigenous African medicine, with full-color photographs and references from over 1,100 publications. The first part of the book contains a catalog of the plants used as ingredients for the preparation of traditional remedies, including their medicinal uses and the parts of the plant used. This is followed by a pharmacognostical profile of 170 of the major herbs, with a brief description of the diagnostic features of the leaves, flowers, and fruits and monographs with botanical names, common names, synonyms, African names, habitat and distribution, ethnomedicinal uses, chemical constituents, and reported pharmacological activity. The second part of the book provides an introduction to African traditional medicine, outlining African cosmology and beliefs as they relate to healing and the use of herbs, health foods, and medicinal plants. This book presents scientific documentation of the correlation between the observed folk use and demonstrable biological activity, as well as the characterized constituents of the plants.

African Flora to Fight Bacterial Resistance, Part One: Standards for the Activity of Plant-Derived Products offers a glimpse into the potential of African medicinal plants to fight bacterial infections, with an emphasis on bacterial drug resistance. Sample chapters cover the Global Burden of bacterial infections and drug resistance, Bacterial drug resistance towards natural products, Harvesting and Processing Medicinal plants for antibacterial testing, Screening methods for antibacterial agents from plant source, Established antibacterial drugs from plants, Potential of African medicinal plants against Enterobacteria: classification of plants antibacterial agents, and much more. Based on collected data, the book offers a rationale classification basis for the antibacterial activity of plant-based products. General knowledge of state-of-the-art of drug resistance is globally described, with the book clearly identifying the best African medicinal plants that could be useful for the development of efficient herbal drugs, as well as the best phytochemicals that could be explored as potential pharmaceuticals. Provides the first book of its type to focus on the potential of African plants as alternative medicine against bacterial drug resistance Analyzes the recorded data to propose a well-elaborated basis for the classification of antibacterial agents from plants Clearly identifies and discusses plants and phytochemicals that could be useful in the development of new antibacterial drugs to combat drug resistance

This volume in the series is devoted to Africa, a continent that possesses a vast treasure of medicinal plants and has produced some exclusive materials for the world market. This volume is expected to strengthen the medicinal plant sector in African countries by making comprehensive information on medicinal and aromatic plants available to policy-makers and entrepreneurs. It can be used to frame effective policies and create an environment conducive to the growth of the plant-based medicine industry, bringing economic benefit to African nations. It will help health organizations to improve the health of their people by using their own resources and a less expensive system of medicine, which is accepted by African society. It could also lead scientific communities to increase R&D activities in the field.

Toxicology in Antiquity provides an authoritative and fascinating exploration into the use of toxins and poisons in antiquity. It brings together the two previously published shorter volumes on the topic, as well as adding considerable new information. Part of the History of Toxicology and Environmental Health series, it covers key accomplishments, scientists, and events in the broad field of toxicology, including environmental health and chemical safety. This first volume sets the tone for the series and starts at the very beginning, historically speaking, with a look at toxicology in ancient times. The book explains that before scientific research methods were developed, toxicology thrived as a very practical discipline. People living in ancient civilizations readily learned to distinguish safe substances from hazardous ones, how to avoid these hazardous substances, and how to use them to inflict harm on enemies. It also describes scholars who compiled compendia of toxic agents. New chapters in this edition focus chiefly on evidence for the use of toxic agents derived from religious texts. Provides the historical background for understanding modern toxicology Illustrates the ways previous civilizations learned to distinguish safe from hazardous substances, how to avoid the hazardous substances and how to use them against enemies Explores the way famous historical figures used toxins New chapters focus on evidence of the use of toxins derived from religious texts

This book gives an overview of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and its clinical application. It also highlights recent advances in toxicological studies, as they relate to therapeutic drug monitoring. This is one of the few books available on the market that covers TDM. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a clinical decision-making tool that enables dosage regimen adjustments based on clinical and laboratory measurements. TDM not only involves the measuring of drug concentrations but also interpretation of the results. There is a strong correlation between drug concentrations in body fluids and outcome than between dose and outcome. The chapters include coverage of analytical techniques, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic indices, artificial intelligence and recent advances in toxicological studies. The book fills a gap in published literature and provides reliable information on; Analytical techniques in TDM and clinical toxicology TDM and pharmacokinetic studies TDM of drugs with narrow therapeutic indices Artificial intelligence in TDM and clinical toxicology Future directions and challenges