Herbalism, Phytochemistry and Ethnopharmacology. 2011. 8 col. pls. 280 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

Herbalism is the backbone of the various systems of complementary and alternative medicine such as Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, Homeopathy, Unani and western medical herbalism. Drugs such as taxol (Taxus brevifolia), silymarin (Silybum marianum), and artemisinin (Artemisia annua) have originated from medicinal plants. An eminent professor of the University of Illinois once remarked that each plant is a unique chemical factory. Phytochemicals or secondary metabolites are behind curative properties of medicinal plants. An early example of a major drug that was derived from an ancient herbal cure was the isolation of quinine from Cinchona in international pharmacopoeia via the study of ethnopharmacology and herbal medicine. Herbalism, Phytochemistry and Ethnopharmacology is aimed at bridging the gap between the ancient sciences of herbalism been compared with reverse pharmacology, which is the science of integrating documented clinical/experiential hits, into leads by transdisciplinary exploratory studies and further developing these into drug candidates by experimental and clinical research.