Medicinal Plants: Bioprospecting and Pharmacognosy (Innovations in Horticultural Science)

"With chapters written by scientists from respected institutes and universities around the world, this book looks at the bioprospecting of medicinal plants for potential health uses and at the pharmacognosy of a selection of medicinal and aromatic plants. The book touches on a diverse selection of topics related to medicinal plants. Chapters look at the use of medicinal plants in healthcare and disease management, such as to treat inflammation, anti-hyperglycemia, and obesity and as immunity boosters. The authors also address the conservation, maintenance, and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants along with postharvest management issues. A chapter discusses the use of synthetic seeds in relation to cryopreservation, and a chapter is devoted to the use of microcomputed tomography and image processing tools in medicinal and aromatic plants. Other topics include consumption, supply chain, marketing, trade, and future directions of research. Some specific plants discussed include fennel, basil, clove, ginger, lavender, turmeric, ginsing, and asparagus in connection with their various therapeutic properties, including anti-rheumatic, anti-asthmatic, anti-diabetic, carminative, diuretic, fever-reducing, and hypotensive. Medicinal Plants: Bioprospecting and Pharmacognosy will prove informative for scientists and researchers in medicinal plants as well as for faculty and students, pharmaceutical researchers, and others."-- Provided by publisher With chapters written by scientists from respected institutes and universities around the world, this book looks at the bioprospecting of medicinal plants for potential health uses and at the pharmacognosy of a selection of medicinal and aromatic plants. The book touches on a diverse selection of topics related to medicinal plants. Chapters look at the use of medicinal plants in healthcare and disease management, such as to treat inflammation, antihyperglycemia, and obesity and as immunity boosters. The authors also address the conservation, maintenance, and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants along with postharvest management issues. A chapter discusses the use of synthetic seeds in relation to cryopreservation, and a chapter is devoted to the use of microcomputed tomography and image processing tools in medicinal and aromatic plants. Other topics include consumption, supply chain, marketing, trade, and future directions of research. Looks at the bioprospecting of medicinal plants for potential health uses and at the pharmacognosy of a selection of medicinal and aromatic plants, such as to treat inflammation, anti-hyperglycemia, and obesity and as immunity boosters. It discusses the conservation, maintenance, and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 About the Editors 10 Table of Contents 14 Contributors 16 Abbreviations 22 Foreword 28 Preface 30 Chapter 1: Medicinal Plants: Perspectives and Retrospectives 32 Chapter 2: Traditional Medicine in Health Care and Disease Management 60 Chapter 3: Herbal Drug Discovery Against Inflammation: From Traditional Wisdom to Modern Therapeutics 70 Chapter 4: Foeniculum vulgare Mill: Flavoring, Pharmacological, Phytochemical, and Folklore Aspects 108 Chapter 5: Ocimum basilicum: A Model Medicinal Industrial Crop Enriched with an Array of Bioactive Chemicals 124 Chapter 6: Syzygium aromaticum, Curcuma longa, and Lavandula: Volatile Components and Antioxidant Activities 150 Chapter 7: Anti-Hyperglycemic Property of Medicinal Plants 178 Chapter 8: Improved Production and Postharvest Technologies in Ashwagandha (Indian Ginseng) 226 Chapter 9: Endangered Medicinal Plants of Temperate Regions: Conservation and Maintenance 244 Chapter 10: Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Threatened Medicinal Plants of North East India 286 Chapter 11: Essential Oils: Clinical Perspectives and Uses 304 Chapter 12: Asparagus sp.: Phytochemicals and Marketed Herbal Formulations 330 Chapter 13: Phytosomes: Preparations, Characterization, and Future Uses 350 Chapter 14: Synthetic Seeds vis-a-vis Cryopreservation: An Efficient Technique for Long-Term Preservation of Endangered Medicinal Plants 368 Chapter 15: Use of Microcomputed Tomography and Image Processing Tools in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 392 Chapter 16: Postharvest Care of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: A Reservoir of Many Health Benefiting Constituents 418 Chapter 17: Prosopis cineraria (Khejri): Ethanopharmacology and Phytochemistry 440 Chapter 18: Mitigation of Obesity: A Phytotherapeutic Approach 456 Chapter 19: Ethnomedicinal Plants of North Eastern Himalayan Region of India to Combat Hypertension 492 Chapter 20: Medicinal Plants: Consumption, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Trade in India 516 Chapter 21: Potential of Spices as Medicines and Immunity Boosters 538 Chapter 22: Medicinal Plants: Future Thrust Areas and Research Directions 552 Index 568 anti-hyperglycemic,property;,antioxidant,activities;,aromatic,plants;,ashwagandha;,bioactive,chemicals;,disease,management;,essential,oils;,health,care;,herbal,drug,discovery;,image,processing,tools;,immunity,boosters;,marketed,herbal,formulations;,medicinal,plants;,microcomputed,tomography;,obesity;,phytochemicals;,phytosomes;,postharvest,technologies;,seeds,vis-a-vis,cryopreservation anti-hyperglycemic property,antioxidant activities,aromatic plants,ashwagandha,bioactive chemicals,disease management,essential oils,health care,herbal drug discovery,image processing tools,immunity boosters,marketed herbal formulations,medicinal plants,microcomputed tomography,obesity,phytochemicals,phytosomes,postharvest technologies,seeds vis-a-vis cryopreservation