Recent Progress In Medicinal Plants (Natural Products-II) (ePub)

From the earliest times, herbs have been prized for their pain relieving and healing abilities, and today we still rely on the curative properties of plants in about 75% of our medicines. Over the centuries, societies around the world have developed their own traditions to make sense of medicinal plants and their uses. Some of these traditions and medical practices may seen strange and magical, other appear rational and sensitive, but all of them are attempts to overcome illness and suffering to enhance quality of life. Currently, there is a worldwide interest in the study and use of herbal remedies because such investigations provide important new leads on novel, active molecules of therapeutic importance. For this reason traditional plant remedies are back and find increasing application as source of direct therapeutic agents. Considerable scientific data have been generated globally in this direction and there is a spurt of publications in recent years. Based on this rationale, the present volume has been compiled and provides updated information on potential medicinal properties, action and uses of plants in order to contribute material leading to the discovery of new drugs of natural origin? The volume presents 29 researches and review papers authored by eminent scientists of India and abroad. Some interesting studies included are: Medicinal and aromatic plants: changing scenario in India; Antibacterial activity of some toxic plants of Algerian flora growing in El-Kala National Park; New perspective on herbal medicines for bacterial infections.