Introductory Chapter: Plant Extracts (2025)

Medicinal plants: traditions of yesterday and drugs of tomorrow

Molecular aspects of Medicine, 2006

Plants have provided man with all his needs in terms of shelter, clothing, food, flavours and fragrances as not the least, medicines. Plants have formed the basis of sophisticated traditional medicine systems among which are Ayurvedic, Unani, Chinese amongst others. These systems of medicine have given rise to some important drugs still in use today. Among the lesserknown systems of medicines are the African and Australian, Central and South American amongst others. The search for new molecules, nowadays, has taken a slightly different route where the science of ethnobotany and ethnopharmacognosy are being used as guide to lead the chemist towards different sources and classes of compounds. It is in this context that the flora of the tropics by virtue of its diversity has a significant role to play in being able to provide new leads. Nonetheless the issue of sovereignty and property rights should also be addressed in line with the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD). This paper highlights the above, provides an overview of the classes of molecules present in plants and gives some examples of the types of molecules and secondary metabolites that have led to the development of these pharmacologically active extracts. The paper also presents some data on the use of plant products in the development of functional foods, addresses the needs for validation of plant extracts and always stressing on safety, efficacy and quality of phyto-medications.

Medicinal Plants and Health in Human History: From Empirical Use to Modern Phytotherapy

Journal of the Siena Academy of Sciences

Phytotherapy is the science that deals with the treatment and prevention of diseases through medicinal plants and herbal products. The use of herbs as medicine is the oldest form of healthcare known to humanity and has been used in all cultures throughout history. It is known that even today over 80% of the world population depends on herbal medicines. The quality of herbal medicines is believed to be directly related to its active principles, but herbal medicines can be variable in their composition. Therefore, it is necessary to use an extract that is well defined in its chemical composition and in the quantity of specific active principles; and actually, to obtain constant efficacy and safety, standardized medicinal plant extracts are being used. Clinically confirmed efficacy and best tolerability and safety of standardized or quantified medicinal plant extracts are the key for a successful phytotherapic approach.

Medicinal plants: Role, distribution and future

Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 2020

Medicinal plants have been used for healthcare since time immemorial. Application of plants to prepare medicine has been realized through hit and trail method, and gradually man became able to fulfill his needs from his surroundings. The use of medicinal plants was started by Japanese for carrying out rituals, food flavoring and treating various diseases. Studies have been carried out globally to verify their potential and some of the findings have given rise to what we call plant-based medicines. Being an important source of medicine, these plants have always been of utmost importance in virtually all cultures of civilizations. Medicinal plants are regarded as rich resources of traditional medicines and not only this but these plants serve as an important source for many modern medicines as well. It is the presence of secondary metabolites which is responsible for their characteristic features. By standardizing the health of active plant-derived compounds, herbal drugs can provide ...

Worldwide Importance of Medicinal Plants: Current and Historical Perspectives

There is no existence of life without plants. Plants are the essential foundation of medicine. Some important drugs that are still in use today are derived from traditional medicinal herbs. The hunt for new medicines has engaged ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology—a new route as an important source of knowledge, which led toward different sources and classes of compounds. Nowadays, studies on structure-activity relationships , and their impact on the design of novel drugs have rendered them one of the utmost valuable and thus significant accomplishments of pharmacochemistry, an advance constituent in the group of pharmaceutical sciences. In this paper, we have discussed the historical importance of medicinal plants, geographical importance throughout the world, some important historical observations of medicinal plants, and leading drugs of plant origin which are still being used to treat various ailments, with or without any structural modifications.

Medicinal Based Plants: A Call to Nature

2020

Herbal plants play an unprecedented role in preventing and treating of human diseases. For many years, people have been using medicinal plants in traditional medicine. Human civilization around the world have been associated with plants, however, plants are known as a rich source of phytochemical compounds that enable it to have a medicinal value. In the development of herbal and conventional drugs, medicinal plants are potential sources. In the 21 century, medicinal plants have been considered due to its pharmacological effects as a promising drug for the management of diverse health implication. The resurgence of interest to discover medicinal plants as a potential source of new drug has become imperative. Even though synthetic drugs are gaining ground in the healthcare system all over the world, however, available evidences suggest that nature will be a pointer for drug discovery. Hence, there is a need to understand and discover the knowledge of medicinal plants as a rich source...

MEDICINAL PLANTS ARE A ROLE IN HUMAN HEALTH DISEASES AND THE ISOLATION OF PHYTOCHEMICAL THROUGH VARIOUS METHODS

Transstellar Journals, 2022

Medicinal plants are a gift of nature and the history of medicinal plants is very ancient. The value of medicinal drugs and their alkaloids are very effective against many human diseases. The drugs are synthetically prepared into the industries but the raw material of drugs can be obtained from various plant parts like stem, bark, roots, leaves, and other fibrous parts, etc. The pharma industries of drugs are very effective herbal drugs but they are very costly. The life of these drugs is not long when compared to herbal medicines. The human body is very sensitive to drugs and when any wrong drugs are applied to the body, then our immune system suppresses the drugs and produces a response against the drugs. The effectiveness of drugs and their specificities only on its targeting site take action upon it. The various microbial diseases can affect the human body by various modes of infection. The various techniques and methods are isolated medicinal drugs from medicinal plants.

Medicinal Plants in Light of History: Recognized Therapeutic Modality

Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 2014

Medicinal plants have an unbelievable history in terms of serving humanity in almost all continents of the world. Traditional healers have transferred that incredible knowledge from generation to generation. Even modernity or cultural revolutions have not altered the in-depth wisdom of this natural medical paradigm. Pharmacological rationale in light of traditional uses followed by phytochemical studies could surely bring a new revolution in the treatment of diseases.

Plants as a Source of Therapeutic and Health Products

CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 2012

The research unit of Pharmacognosy is mostly working on the biological activity and safety of natural products, as well as herbal dietary supplements. One of the focuses relies on finding new cancer chemopreventive compounds by means of a battery of short-term in vitro bioassays developed to monitor inhibition of tumorigenesis at various stages. Neglected diseases are a major problem in developing countries. Therefore, the search for new or improved treatments is also needed and consists of another area of research of the unit. For both projects, in-depth mechanistic studies, as well as in vitro and in vivo absorption and metabolization experiments are performed. Problems related to undeclared, unauthorized or toxic botanicals in herbal dietary supplements are of growing importance as they generally have not gone through a rigorous drug testing process as for therapeutic phytochemicals. For this, a generic method was developed for the multi-targeted screening of biomarkers which aims at characterizing plant species in these supplements.

Medicinal Plants: The Rising Strategy for Synthesis of Modern Medicine

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT AND ENVIRONMENT

The knowledge of the medicinal properties of the plants is rooted back in the cultural transmission of historic traditions, and beliefs of the inhabitants of a given geographical area, and in the ancient texts, literature such as Ebers Papyrus, De Materia Medica. The ethnic communities such as Bhotiya residing in the Byans valley of West Himalaya, India; Chin indigenous group of Myanmar still customize their herbal formulations from different plant parts depending upon the types of disease for disease prevention and treatment. However, with the change in consumer behavior, the pharmaceutical industries are gaining interest in the formulation of modern medicines based upon natural plant extracts, or the isolated bioactive compounds.

Modern Molecular Biology Technologies and Higher Usability of Ancient Knowledge of Medicinal Plants for Treatment of Human Diseases

Plant and Human Health, Volume 2, 2019

Medicinal Plants: An Expanding Role in Development

Papers, 1996

All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First printing April 1996 Technical Papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's work to the development community with the least possible delay. The typescript of this paper therefore has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to fornal printed texts, and the World Bank accepts no responsibility for errors. Some sources cited in this paper may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this volume do not imply on the part of the World Bank Group any judgment on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

Medicinal plants – History and context

isara solutions, 2011

India has a rich culture of restorative herbs and spices, which incorporates about in excess of 2000 species and has a tremendous land region with high potential capacities for Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha conventional meds however without a doubt, not many have been read artificially and pharmacologically for their potential therapeutic worth (Gupta et al., 2005; Sandhu and Heinrich, 2005). People have utilized plants for the treatment of various diseases for a great many years (Sofowara, 1982; Hill, 1989). As indicated by the World Health Organization, most populaces still depend on conventional meds for their mental and physical wellbeing prerequisites (Rabe and Van Stoden, 2000), since they can't bear the cost of the results of Western pharmaceutical businesses (Salie et al., 1996), together with their symptoms and absence of medicinal services offices (Griggs et al., 2001). Provincial zones of many creating nations still depend on customary drug for their essential medicinal services needs and have discovered a spot in everyday life. These drugs are generally more secure and less expensive than manufactured or current medication (Iwu et al., 1999; Idu et al., 2007; Mann et al., 2008; Ammara et al., 2009). Individuals living in rustic regions from their own experience realize that these customary cures are important wellspring of characteristic items to keep up human wellbeing, yet they may not comprehend the science behind these medications, however realized that some restorative plants are exceptionally powerful just when utilized at helpful dosages (Maheshwari et al., 1986; Van Wyk et al., 2000).

The Plant called Medicine

webmail.uniben.edu

Plants as source for medicines: new perspectives

Frontis, 2006

An enormous variety of medicinal plants are used worldwide by about 80% of the world population, although in most cases no scientific studies have been done to prove the efficacy of these medicinal plants. Considering that most present-day western medicines are based on the traditional medicinal plants of European, Mediterranean and Arabic origin, the variety of plants in use around the world may very well represent an enormous treasure for drug development. To develop evidence-based medicinal plants and novel active compounds from this very important heritage, the present-day reductionist approach of drug development of 'a single compound for a single target' will probably not develop this resource to its full potential. Instead, holistic approaches, such as clinical trials and systems biology, need to be employed, as in many cases activity might be due to pro-drugs which are activated in the body after administration of the medicine or to synergy among compounds. Metabolomics, proteomics and transcriptomics will be important tools for such holistic approaches, requiring proper statistical methods to deal with the large data sets.

Phytochemistry and medicinal plants

A truncated history of the contribution of plants to medicine is given with reference to some of the less well known ancestors of the Harborne family. Six of the top 20 prescriptions dispensed in 1996 were natural products and the clinical use of drugs such as artemisinin, etoposide and taxol has once more focussed attention on plants as sources of novel drug entities. High through-put robotic screens have been developed by industry and it is possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds which have speci®city of action against a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. Bioassay-guided fractionation of plant extracts linked to chromatographic separation techniques leads to the isolation of biologically active molecules whose chemical structures can readily be determined by modern spectroscopic methods. The role of academics in the search for new drugs is discussed by reference to some of our research into natural products with activity on the central nervous system, on pain receptors, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the wound healing properties of the sap of species of Croton (Dragon's blood), and a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat eczema. Expertise in phytochemistry has been essential for this research and the strong lead shown by Professor Jerey Harborne is gratefully acknowledged. #

Plants: revamping the oldest source of medicines with modern science

Medicinal Plants: the Medical, Food, and Nutritional Biochemistry and Uses

International Journal of Advanced Academic Research, 2019

This article focuses on the medical, food, and nutritional biochemistry and uses of medicinal plants. Medicinal plants are used with the intention of health maintenance, to be administered for specific conditions, or both, whether in modern or in traditional medicines. Many phytochemicals with established or potential biological activity have been identified in plants. The compounds found in plants (phytochemicals) are of several kinds, but most are in four main biochemical classes: terpenes, alkaloids, glycosides, and polyphenols. Medicinal plants are used widely in non-industrialized societies and developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Southern America, mainly because they are thought to be very effective, cheaper than modern medicines, and readily available. Plants, including many currently used as culinary spices and herbs, have been used as medicines, not certainly effectively, from ancient times. Polyphenols of many classes are widely spread in plants. Plants having phytoestrogens, a type of polyphenols, have been administered for decades for gynecological conditions, such as fertility, menopausal, and menstrual problems; among these plants are Pueraria mirifica, anise, kudzu, angelica, and fennel. The astringent rind of the pomegranate, having polyphenols known as punicalagins, is commonly used as a medicine. Angelica, having phytoestrogens, has been used for gynaecological disorders for long. Nicotine, an alkaloid, from tobacco directly binds to Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the body, accounting for its pharmacological effects. Cardiac glycosides are powerful drugs from the medicinal plants including lily of the valley and foxglove; they include digitoxin and digoxin which support heart beating, and work as diuretics. Terpenoids and terpenes of many kinds are contained in many medicinal plants, and also in resinous plants such as conifers; they are strongly aromatic. A number of the terpenoids and terpenes have medicinal uses: for instance, thymol (an antiseptic) was once used as an anti-worm medicine (vermifuge). In most of the developing countries, especially in the rural areas, local traditional medicine, inclusive of herbalism, is the lone source of health care for individuals, while in the developed countries, alternative medicine including dietary supplements is aggressively marketed using claims of traditional medicine.

MEDICINAL PLANT RESOURCES: MANIFESTATION AND PROSPECTS OF LIFESUSTAINING HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Medicinal plants are the principal health care resources for the majority of people all over the world. The healing properties of herbal medicines have been recognized in many ancient cultures. The traditional medical systems such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani are part of a time-tested culture and honored by people still today. Pharmaceutical importance of plants has led to the discovery and adoption of plant extracts which were commonly used in traditional medicine, as alternative source of remedy. A vast diversity of herbal ingredients, major proportion of which is derived from wild, provide the resource base to the herbal industry. Despite the increasing use of medicinal plants, their future, seemingly, is being threatened by complacency concerning their conservation. Global demand for herbal medicines is accompanied by dwindling supply of medicinal plants due to over-harvesting, habitat loss and agricultural encroachment. As millions of rural households use plants for self-medication community involvement in monitoring use and status of medicinal plants can contribute to effective strategies for their sustainable use. INTRODUCTION Human life and knowledge of preserving it as a going concern must have come into being almost simultaneously. All known cultures of the past-Egyptian, Babylonian, Jewish, Chinese, Indus-valley etc. had their own glorious and useful systems of medicine and health care. Herbal medicines also called botanical medicines or phytomedicines, refer to the use of any plant seed, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flower for medicinal purpose. Early herbalists believed that the plant part resembling any part of human body was considered useful for the ailments of those parts, and there is no part of body without its corresponding herb, a hypothesis known as the, " Doctrine of Signature " (Baquar, 2001). The economic significance of medicinal plants stems from the fact that the number of patients suffering from chronic ailments is on the rise and drugs from medicinal plants are proving to be more effective in treating such disorders (Deshpande et al., 2006).

Medicinal plants

A vision for medicinal plants

Boletin Latinoamericano Y Del Caribe De Plantas Medicinales Y Aromaticas Num 4 Vol 6, 2014

In the past few years, the author has written a number of articles discussing a vision for the development of medicinal plants. This article will therefore present only a brief synopsis of some of the more salient features of those articles, resulting in the presentation of four, clear, coalescing visions for the future of medicinal plants: enhanced quality control, sustainability for medicinal plants, pharmacognosy in a suitcase, and finding a strong "voice" at the political table of global health care.