Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees of Potential Medicinal Benefits

Azamal Husen, Azamal Husen

• Editore: CRC Press
• Anno: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000596243
• Edizione: 1
• Argomento: Medicine
• Categoria: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

There has been a worldwide increase in the demand for medicinal plants that aid the immune system, and considerable progress has been made in plant-based drug development. Herbs, Shrubs and Trees of Potential Medicinal Benefits examines how plants are used in the development of drugs preventing and treating cancer, hepatitis, asthma, influenza, HIV, and other diseases by manipulating a variety of bioactive molecules found in these plant parts. The book analyses how plants may strengthen human immunity, improve mood and brain function, enhance blood and oxygen circulation, boost the healing processes, and maintain blood pressure.

Though many herbs, shrubs and trees have been identified for developing healthcare products, many of them require further exploration for potential usage. This volume in the Exploring Medicinal Plants series, presents information on herbs, shrubs and trees discussing traditional knowledge, chemical derivatives, and potential benefits of these items.

Features:

Identifies and highlights some medicinal herbs, shrubs and or trees around the world, presenting overall potential benefits to human health.

Explores important medicinal plants for their bioactive constituents and phytochemicals.

Discusses medicinal herbs, shrubs, and or trees for their uses in herbal drug preparation.

Written by an international panel of plant scientists, this book is an essential resource to students, pharmacists, and chemists. It provides valuable information on fundamental chemical principles, modes of action, and product formulation of bioactive natural products derived from plants for medical applications.

1 Exploring Important Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees for Their Traditional Knowledge, Chemical Derivatives, and Potential Benefits

Tilahun Belayneh Asfaw, Tarekegn Berhanu Esho, Archana Bachheti, Rakesh Kumar Bachheti, D.P. Pandey, and Azamal Husen

DOI: 10.1201/9781003205067-1

Contents

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 General Importance of Medicinal Plants

1.1.2 Significance of Medicinal Plants at the Global Level

1.1.3 Important Chemical Constituents and Uses

1.2 Descriptions

1.2.1 Morphological Descriptions of Some Important Herbs

1.2.2 Morphological Descriptions of Some Important Shrubs

1.2.3 Morphological Descriptions of Some Important Trees

1.3 Traditional Knowledge of Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees

1.4 Chemical Derivatives (Bioactive Compounds – Phytochemistry) of Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees

1.5 Potential Benefits, Applications, and Uses of Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees

1.5.1 General Overview

1.5.2 Uses and Bioactive Constituents of Herbs

1.5.3 Parts of the Plants, Uses, and Bioactive Constituents of Shrubs

1.5.4 Uses and Bioactive Constituents of Trees

1.6 Conclusion

References

1.1 Introduction

Nature is the original source of elements and molecules that are essential for human health. From time immemorial, medicinal plants (herbs, shrubs, and trees) have played a vital role in the health care of humans and animals and have become integral to life. Methods of application of medicinal plants by local people (traditional healers) vary geographically and socially, depending on time of plant collection, cultural differences, and ecological and biochemical features. Traditional medicinal knowledge within specific geographical locations or tribal groups has been subsequently transferred onto successive generations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2013) definition,

traditional medicine is the total of the knowledge, skill, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of the health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.

Traditional medicinal knowledge can be classified as indigenous and complementary or alternative medicines. Indigenous knowledge refers to a broad set of health care practices based on the culture, religion/belief, and theories or based on the country’s tradition or conventional medicines within a dominant health care system. On the other hand, complementary or alternative medicine refers to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country’s tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health care system. These traditional or complementary medicines are commonly used in developing countries to treat several disorders or physical or spiritual illnesses.

Written evidence from India, China, Ethiopia, and North Africa shows that humans have used medicinal plants throughout history. Developing countries have considerable economic benefits, including both indigenous and exogenous medicines and medicinal plants to treat various diseases. Traditional therapeutic systems are used to prepare the crude extract. They have a synergetic effect of treating several diseases like liver problems, cancer, malaria, obesity, arthritis, stomach, skin problems, pimples, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, asthma, ulcerations, etc. Medicinal herbs, shrubs, and trees are the best reservoirs of bioactive compounds. Based on the traditional practices, theories, beliefs, and documented or recorded medicinal treatments over time, novel compounds have been discovered and synthesized in modern laboratories and tested against in vitro and in vivo experiments. Of the main novel drugs isolated from medicinal plants, a few of them have been identified as highly effective natural product compounds in the treatment of various cancers – for example, artemisinin, Taxol, and etoposide. The objective of this chapter is to provide scientific information on some of the frequently used herbs, shrubs, and trees; their traditional knowledge, chemical derivatives/bioactive compounds, biological activities (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and some other disease-causing agents like anxiety, insomnia, pain, muscle tension, oxidative stress, etc.), and other potential benefits.

1.1.1 General Importance of Medicinal Plants

Many people in most parts of the world depend on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. Traditional medicinal systems are used to prepare crude drugs that have a synergetic effect of treating several diseases like liver problems, cancer, malaria, stomach and skin problems, pimples, ulcerations, etc. There are considerable economic benefits in developing countries, including both indigenous and exogenous medicines and medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases. This is because medicinal plants are the sources of natural produc...