Fundamentals of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy - Elsevier E-Book on VitalSource (Retail Access Card)

Pharmacognosy, the science of nature-derived drugs, pharmaceuticals and poisons, played a crucial role in the development of modern medicine, and now has an equally important place in healthcare all over the world. This wide scope ranges from traditional medicine systems and herbal and nutritional therapies, the preparation and use of highly standardised and clinically tested herbal medicines, to the production of potent drugs used only in a purified form. Natural sources mainly focus on plants, fungi and algae, but drug discovery of novel compounds and structures includes bacteria and even marine animals. Fundamentals of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy is a landmark textbook that covers this spectrum of medicinal plant use. Written by leading experts in this field, this book takes the reader through the history, identification and quality assurance of plant-based medicines to their therapeutic properties, safety and compatibility and interaction with prescribed drugs. Aimed at students of all healthcare professions, including pharmacy, medicine, nursing and complementary therapies, the comprehensively updated information in this textbook is also relevant to those companies and organisations concerned with the regulation and testing of herbal medicines (phytomedicines), other natural health products, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements. Introduces the concepts and scope of pharmacognosy Examines the scientific evidence of plant-based medicines for a range of health conditions Extended and updated referencing includes recent reviews, WHO and official documents (open access where available) for quick access to further scientific literature New to this edition Antimicrobial natural products: as antibiotics and antiseptics, and their potential as bacterial resistance modifiers Anticancer natural products: scope now includes their role in chemoprevention and associated anti-inflammatory mechanisms New chapter on pharmacovigilance for herbal medicines and related products Quality assurance and pharmacopoeial methods extended, with many new figures and examples Plant medicines of recent scientific interest (popularity, or notoriety) added throughout An enhanced eBook version is included with purchase. The eBook allows you to access all the text, figures, and references, with the ability to search, customise your content, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud Antimicrobial natural products: as antibiotics and antiseptics, and their potential as bacterial resistance modifiers Anticancer natural products: scope now includes their role in chemoprevention and associated anti-inflammatory mechanisms New chapter on pharmacovigilance for herbal medicines and related products Quality assurance and pharmacopoeial methods extended, with many new figures and examples Plant medicines of recent scientific interest (popularity, or notoriety) added throughout The first edition of this unique book was published in 2004 and, today,almost 20 years on, the focus of the publication with this fourth edition haschanged substantially. An innovative feature of the first edition was to bringtogether the scientific basis of medicinal-plant and natural-product researchwith a therapy-oriented introduction to the uses of medicinal plants andnatural products in healthcare. The fourth edition upholds this approachthrough retaining content on traditional studies of the identification andquality of plant-based medicines: these aspects remain fundamental tounderstanding the therapeutic properties of natural products, and areintrinsic to their safety, including compatibility and interactions when usedwith prescribed drugs. This new edition also provides readers with anunderstanding of the role of natural products in the drug discovery process,the analysis and isolation of active molecules, and their structureelucidation, and these aspects are illustrated with chemical structures,chromatograms and spectra where appropriate.In keeping with our original aim, we trust that this new edition willenable health professionals, particularly pharmacists, medical practitioners,nurses and others, as well as students and readers interested generally inpharmacognosy and phytotherapy, to gain a basic understanding ofimportant aspects relating to the use of medicinal plants and other naturalproducts. Beyond this, we hope this volume aids in the consideration of thepotential benefits and harms of plant-based medicines, whether as part ofregulatory processes or where health professionals provide advice topatients.