Natural Small Molecule Drugs from Plants


Book Description

This book discusses 120 types of natural, small-molecule drugs derived from plants. They are grouped into 7 parts according their clinical uses, such as drugs for cardiovascular diseases, for metabolic diseases, for neuropsychiatric diseases, for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, anti-tumor drugs, and drugs for parasites and bacterial infection. Each chapter systematically summarizes one drug, including its physicochemical properties, sources, pharmacological effects and clinical applications. To help readers understand the drug better, the research and pharmacological activity for each drug is also described, which serves as a salutary lesson for future drug development. Written by frontline researchers, teachers and clinicians working in field of pharmacy and pharmacology it provides an overview of natural, small-molecule drugs derived from plants for researchers in the field.




Herbal Medicine


Book Description

The global popularity of herbal supplements and the promise they hold in treating various disease states has caused an unprecedented interest in understanding the molecular basis of the biological activity of traditional remedies. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects focuses on presenting current scientific evidence of biomolecular ef




Biodiversity


Book Description

This important book for scientists and nonscientists alike calls attention to a most urgent global problem: the rapidly accelerating loss of plant and animal species to increasing human population pressure and the demands of economic development. Based on a major conference sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution, Biodiversity creates a systematic framework for analyzing the problem and searching for possible solutions.




Plants Go to War


Book Description

As the first botanical history of World War II, Plants Go to War examines military history from the perspective of plant science. From victory gardens to drugs, timber, rubber, and fibers, plants supplied materials with key roles in victory. Vegetables provided the wartime diet both in North America and Europe, where vitamin-rich carrots, cabbages, and potatoes nourished millions. Chicle and cacao provided the chewing gum and chocolate bars in military rations. In England and Germany, herbs replaced pharmaceutical drugs; feverbark was in demand to treat malaria, and penicillin culture used a growth medium made from corn. Rubber was needed for gas masks and barrage balloons, while cotton and hemp provided clothing, canvas, and rope. Timber was used to manufacture Mosquito bombers, and wood gasification and coal replaced petroleum in European vehicles. Lebensraum, the Nazi desire for agricultural land, drove Germans eastward; troops weaponized conifers with shell bursts that caused splintering. Ironically, the Nazis condemned non-native plants, but adopted useful Asian soybeans and Mediterranean herbs. Jungle warfare and camouflage required botanical knowledge, and survival manuals detailed edible plants on Pacific islands. Botanical gardens relocated valuable specimens to safe areas, and while remote locations provided opportunities for field botany, Trees surviving in Hiroshima and Nagasaki live as a symbol of rebirth after vast destruction.




Synthesis of Medicinal Agents from Plants


Book Description

Synthesis of Medicinal Agents from Plants highlights the importance of synthesizing medicinal agents from plants and outlines methods for performing it effectively. Beginning with an introduction to the significance of medicinal plants, the book goes on to provide a historical overview of drug synthesis before exploring how this can be used to successfully replicate and adapt the active agents from natural sources. Chapters then explore the medicinal properties of a number of important plants, before concluding with a discussion of the future of drugs from medicinal plants. Illustrated with real-world examples, it is a practical resource for researchers in this field. In an age of rapid environmental destruction, hundreds of medicinal plants are at risk of extinction from overexploitation and deforestation, limiting the natural resources available for active agent extraction, thereby threatening the discovery of future cures for diseases. Simultaneously, with the increasing population and advances in medical sciences, the demand for drugs is continuously increasing and cannot be met with just plants. The ability to synthetically replicate the active compounds from these plants is essential in creating an ecologically-aware, sustainable future for drug design - Includes detailed coverage of therapeutic compound synthesis - Uses multiple real-world examples to support content - Lays out a sustainable template for the future of developing active agents from natural products




Pharmacological Properties of Plant-Derived Natural Products and Implications for Human Health


Book Description

Medicinal plants and their derived products remain as an indispensable source of bioactive molecules that serve as either drug candidates or lead compounds for drug design and discovery. There are several advantages for plant-derived therapeutics including wide availability, diverse pharmacological actions and a generally good profile of safety and tolerability. Over the recent years, there have been numerous reports from clinical studies testifying to the efficacy and safety of medicinal plants and phytochemicals in ameliorating several human diseases. A plethora of basic studies has also unravelled molecular mechanisms underlying the health benefits of herbal medicines. Nevertheless, issues such as identification of bioactive ingredients, standardization of the products and drug interactions remain to be further studied. In this book, we aim to put together several chapters on the medicinal properties and pharmacological action of medicinal plants, plant species and phytochemicals. The goal is to present a comprehensive collection on most of the therapeutic aspects of plant-derived natural products and molecular mechanisms thereof.




The Natural History of Medicinal Plants


Book Description

Wild and cultivated plants have provided humans with cures for thousands of years. Aspirin, for example, the most widely used drug in the Western pharmacopoeia, was first isolated from willows to treat fever, pain, and inflammation. Writing for the lay reader, the author surveys the history of the use of plants in medicine, the range of chemicals produced by plants, and the prospects for future discoveries. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.




Plant-derived Natural Products


Book Description

Plants produce a huge array of natural products (secondary metabolites). These compounds have important ecological functions, providing protection against attack by herbivores and microbes and serving as attractants for pollinators and seed-dispersing agents. They may also contribute to competition and invasiveness by suppressing the growth of neighboring plant species (a phenomenon known as allelopathy). Humans exploit natural products as sources of drugs, flavoring agents, fragrances and for a wide range of other applications. Rapid progress has been made in recent years in understanding natural product synthesis, regulation and function and the evolution of metabolic diversity. It is timely to bring this information together with contemporary advances in chemistry, plant biology, ecology, agronomy and human health to provide a comprehensive guide to plant-derived natural products. Plant-derived natural products: synthesis, function and application provides an informative and accessible overview of the different facets of the field, ranging from an introduction to the different classes of natural products through developments in natural product chemistry and biology to ecological interactions and the significance of plant-derived natural products for humans. In the final section of the book a series of chapters on new trends covers metabolic engineering, genome-wide approaches, the metabolic consequences of genetic modification, developments in traditional medicines and nutraceuticals, natural products as leads for drug discovery and novel non-food crops.




Plant Natural Products for Human Health


Book Description

Plants have served mankind as an important source of foods and medicines. While we all consume plants and their products for nutritional support, a majority of the world population also rely on botanical remedies to meet their health needs, either as their own “traditional medicine” or as “complementary and alternative medicine”. From a pharmaceutical point of view, many compounds obtained from plant sources have long been known to possess bio/pharmacological activities, and historically, plants have yielded many important drugs for human use, from morphine discovered in the early nineteenth century to the more recent paclitaxel and artemisinin. Today, we are witnessing a global resurgence in interest and use of plant-based therapies and botanical products, and natural products remain an important and viable source of lead compounds in many drug discovery programs. This Special Issue on “Plant Natural Products for Human Health” compiles a series of scientific reports to demonstrate the medicinal potentials of plant natural products. It covers a range of disease targets, such as diabetes, inflammation, cancer, neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, liver damage, bacterial, and fungus infection and malarial. These papers provide important insights into the current state of research on drug discovery and new techniques. It is hoped that this Special Issue will serve as a timely reference for researchers and scholars who are interested in the discovery of potentially useful molecules from plant sources for health-related applications.




Medicinal Plants for Holistic Health and Well-Being


Book Description

Medicinal Plants for Holistic Health and Well-Being discusses, in depth, the use of South African plants to treat a variety of ailments, including tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal diseases, acne, postmacular hypomelanosis, and more. Plants were selected on the basis of their traditional use, and the book details the scientific evidence that supports their pharmacological and therapeutic potential to safely and effectively treat each disease. Thus, this book is a valuable resource for all researchers, students and professors involved in advancing global medicinal plant research. Many plants found in South Africa are also found in other parts of the world. Each chapter highlights plants from other worldwide locations so that scientists can study which plants belong to the same family, and how similar qualities can be used to treat a specific disease. - The book details the scientific evidence that supports their pharmacological and therapeutic potential to safely and effectively treat each disease - Each chapter highlights plants from worldwide locations so that scientists can study plants belonging to the same family, and how similar species can be used to treat a specific disease - Use of traditional medicine as an efficient means to identify and further investigate South African, similar plants and plant-derived compounds in modern drug discovery - Includes a number of chapters dedicated to using medicinal plants to treat various skin disorders, which is often not covered in other books on medicinal plants - Organized by specific diseases, with vital evidence-based data related to the bioactivity, pharmacological potential, chemical structure and safety information