Explore the vast range of titles available.

Medicinal plants are rich sources of bioactive compounds widely used as medicaments, food additives, perfumes, and agrochemicals. These secondary compounds are produced under stress conditions to carry out physiological tasks in plants. Secondary metabolites have a complex chemical structure with pharmacological properties. The widespread use of these metabolites in a lot of industrial sectors has raised the need to increase the production of secondary metabolites. Biotechnological methods of cell culture allow the conservation of plants, as well as the improvement of metabolite biosynthesis and the possibility to modify the synthesis pathways. The objective of this review is to outline the applications of different in vitro culture systems with previously reported relevant examples for the optimal production of plant-derived secondary metabolites.

The pharmacopoeias of most African countries are available and contain an impressive number of medicinal plants used for various therapeutic purposes. Many African scholars have distinguished themselves in the fields of organic chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacognosy and other areas related to the study of plant medicinal plants. However, until now, there is no global standard book on the nature and specificity of chemicals isolated in African medicinal plants, as well as a book bringing together and discussing the main bioactive metabolites of these plants. This book explores the essence of natural substances from African medicinal plants and their pharmacological potential. In light of possible academic use, this book also scans the bulk of African medicinal plants extract having promising pharmacological activities. The book contains data of biologically active plants of Africa, plant occurring compounds and synthesis pathways of secondary metabolites.This book explores the essence of natural substances from African medicinal plants and their pharmacological potentialThe authors are world reknowned African Scientists.

Learn how medicinal plants work from the chemical level upward Understanding Medicinal Plants: Their Chemistry and Therapeutic Action is designed to teach the chemical concepts necessary to understand the actions of medicinal plants to people who are intimidated by chemistry. This beautifully illustrated, accessibly written guide explores the molecules of medicinal plants and the pharmacology behind their actions on the human body. The book will be valuable to non-science majors, biology majors, interested scientists of different disciplines, and practitioners and students of herbalism and complementary medicine. Understanding Medicinal Plants covers the essentials, including: understanding the symbolism of chemical structure bonding—and predicting useful properties important plant compounds isolation and purification of plant molecules drug delivery and action in the human body the chemistry of antioxidants identification of plant molecules Interest in alternative medicine and herbal products has never been higher than it is now. Understanding Medicinal Plants aims for the middle ground between technical manuals for highly trained individuals and books for the general public that may oversimplify the material. This introductory work provides you with a wealth of suggested reading materials, tables, figures, and illustrations. Three case studies illustrate specific plant drugs and their molecular constituents. This resource also provides an extensive glossary for easy reference. In Understanding Medicinal Plants, you will find a lexicon of medicinally important chemical families found in plants to help you identify and understand the role of constituents such as: alkaloids flavonoids coumarins glycosides amino acids lignans tannins and many more Understanding Medicinal Plants enriches your knowledge of the science behind herbalism and increases your savvy as a consumer of herbal products. This sourcebook will help you better understand the debates about the regulation of medicinal plants and related health care policy debates. With this book, you will be able to interpret media hype about medicinal plants with greater confidence. Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Interpreting the Symbolism of Chemical Structures, or, Finding Your Way Around a Molecule The Basic Rules of Bonding What Do the Lines Mean? Recognizing the Functional Groups Naming Molecules Sameness: Molecular Formulas and Isomers Chapter 3. The Origins of Bonding and Molecular Properties Elements, Atoms, and the Periodic Table Electron Configurations: The Real Organizing Principle Bonding to Create Molecules Predicting Properties from Molecular Structure Chapter 4. A Structural Lexicon of Medicinally Important Chemical Families Found in Plants Compounds of Primary Metabolism Secondary Metabolites Chapter 5. Chemical Behavior and Its Application to Medicinal Molecules Isolation of Medicinally Active Substances Analysis and Identification of Medicinal Molecules Antioxidants and Reactive Oxygen Species: Chemical Reactions Affecting Health Chapter 6. Drug Delivery and Action Delivering Drug Molecules Where Drugs Act: Targets The Molecular Level of Action Chapter 7. Case Studies of Selected Plant Drugs Ayahuasca and the Central Nervous System Ginkgo and Brain Health Cancer Treatments from Plants: Interrupting the Cell Cycle Epilogue Notes Glossary Bibliography Index

Selecting candidates for drug developments using computational design and empirical rules has resulted in a broad discussion about their success. In a previous study, we had shown that a species’ abundance [as expressed by the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)] dataset is a core determinant for the development of a natural product into a medicine. Our overarching aim is to understand the unique requirements for natural product-based drug development. Web of Science was queried for research on alkaloids in combination with plant systematics/taxonomy. All alkaloids containing species demonstrated an average increase of 8.66 in GBIF occurrences between 2014 and 2020. Medicinal Species with alkaloids show higher abundance compared to non-medicinal alkaloids, often linked also to cultivation. Alkaloids with high biodiversity are often simple alkaloids found in multiple species with the presence of ’driver species‘ and are more likely to be included in early-stage drug development compared to ‘rare’ alkaloids. Similarly, the success of an alkaloid containing species as a food supplement (‘botanical’) is linked to its abundance. GBIF is a useful tool for assessing the druggability of a compound from a certain source species. The success of any development programme from natural sources must take sustainable sourcing into account right from the start.

In this review, recent advances in greener technology for extracting natural bioactive components from plant origin sources are discussed. Bioactive compounds of plant origin have been defined as natural chemical compounds present in small amounts in plants. Researchers have shown interest in extracting bioactive compounds because of their human health benefits and characteristics of being eco-friendly and generally recognized as safe. Various new extraction methods and conventional extraction methods have been developed, however, until now, no unique approach has been presented as a benchmark for extracting natural bioactive compounds from plants. The selectivity and productivity of traditional and modern extraction techniques generally depend on selecting the critical input parameters, knowing the nature of plant-based samples, the structure of bioactive compounds, and good scientific skills. This work aims to discuss the recent advances in supercritical fluid extraction techniques, especially supercritical carbon dioxide, along with the fundamental principles for extracting bioactive compounds from natural plant materials such as herbs, spices, aromatic and medicinal plants.

Cannabis sativa is one of the oldest medicinal plants in the world. It was introduced into western medicine during the early 19th century. It contains a complex mixture of secondary metabolites, including cannabinoids and non-cannabinoid-type constituents. More than 500 compounds have been reported from C. sativa, of which 125 cannabinoids have been isolated and/or identified as cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are C21 terpeno-phenolic compounds specific to Cannabis. The non-cannabinoid constituents include: non-cannabinoid phenols, flavonoids, terpenes, alkaloids and others. This review discusses the chemistry of the cannabinoids and major non-cannabinoid constituents (terpenes, non-cannabinoid phenolics, and alkaloids) with special emphasis on their chemical structures, methods of isolation, and identification.

The rewards of using plants and plant metabolites over other biological methods for nanoparticle synthesis have fascinated researchers to investigate mechanisms of metal ions uptake and bio-reduction by plants. Here, green chemistry were employed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using leaf extracts of Ocimum Sanctum (Tulsi) and its derivative quercetin (flavonoid present in Tulsi) separately as precursors to investigate the role of biomolecules present in Tulsi in the formation of AgNPs from cationic silver under different physicochemical conditions such as pH, temperature, reaction time and reactants concentration. The size, shape, morphology, and stability of resultant AgNPs were investigated by optical spectroscopy (absorption, photoluminescence (PL), PL-lifetime and Fourier transform infrared), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The enhanced antibacterial activity of AgNPs against E-Coli gram-negative bacterial strains was analyzed based on the zone of inhibition and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) indices. The results of different characterization techniques showed that AgNPs synthesized using both leaf extract and neat quercetin separately followed the same optical, morphological, and antibacterial characteristics, demonstrating that biomolecules (quercetin) present in Tulsi are mainly responsible for the reduction of metal ions to metal nanoparticles.

Amomum nilgiricum is one of the plant species reported from Western Ghats of India, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae , with ethno-botanical values, and is well-known for their ethno medicinal applications. In the present investigation, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of A. nilgiricum were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to identify the important functional groups and phytochemical constituents. The FTIR spectra revealed the occurrence of functional characteristic peaks of aromatic amines, carboxylic acids, ketones, phenols and alkyl halides group from leaf and rhizome extracts. The GC–MS analysis of ethyl acetate and methanol extracts from leaves, and methanol extract from rhizomes of A. nilgiricum detected the presence of 25 phytochemical compounds. Further, the leaf and rhizome extracts of A. nilgiricum showed remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activities at 100 mg/mL. The results of DPPH and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay recorded maximum antioxidant activity in A. nilgiricum methanolic leaf extract. While, ethyl acetate leaf extract exhibited maximum α-amylase inhibition activity, followed by methanolic leaf extract exhibiting aldose reductase inhibition. Subsequently, these 25 identified compounds were analyzed for their bioactivity through in silico molecular docking studies. Results revealed that among the phytochemical compounds identified, serverogenin acetate might have maximum antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant and antidiabetic properties followed by 2,4-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane and (1,3- 13 C 2 )propanedioic acid. To our best knowledge, this is the first description on the phytochemical constituents of the leaves and rhizomes of A. nilgiricum , which show pharmacological significance, as there has been no literature available yet on GC–MS and phytochemical studies of this plant species. The in silico molecular docking of serverogenin acetate was also performed to confirm its broad spectrum activities based on the binding interactions with the antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant and antidiabetic target proteins. The results of the present study will create a way for the invention of herbal medicines for several ailments by using A. nilgiricum plants, which may lead to the development of novel drugs.

Chalcones are secondary metabolites belonging to the flavonoid (C6-C3-C6 system) family that are ubiquitous in edible and medicinal plants, and they are bioprecursors of plant flavonoids. Chalcones and their natural derivatives are important intermediates of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Plants containing chalcones have been used in traditional medicines since antiquity. Chalcones are basically α,β-unsaturated ketones that exert great diversity in pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, antitubercular, antiplasmodial, antileishmanial, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, and so on. This review provides an insight into the chemistry, biosynthesis, and occurrence of chalcones from natural sources, particularly dietary and medicinal plants. Furthermore, the pharmacological, pharmacokinetics, and toxicological aspects of naturally occurring chalcone derivatives are also discussed herein. In view of having tremendous pharmacological potential, chalcone scaffolds/chalcone derivatives and bioflavonoids after subtle chemical modification could serve as a reliable platform for natural products-based drug discovery toward promising drug lead molecules/drug candidates.