This book offer comprehensive studies and covers the structurally diverse secondary metabolites of medicinal herbs including their biochemistry, enthnopharmacological properties and biological activity. Secondary metabolites of medicinal herbs are a treasure trove of novel compounds with potential therapeutic applications.

Plants produce secondary metabolites that humans harness for their own benefit. About half of drugs currently in clinical use are based on these chemicals found in nature. Chemistry of Natural Products covers secondary metabolites present in medicinal plants and their biosynthesis, biological activities, and isolation and separation techniques. This book is ideal for researchers in the areas of biochemistry, medicine, and pharmacology.

This book starts with a general introduction to phytochemistry, followed by chapters on plant constituents, their origins and chemistry, but also discussing animal-, microorganism- and mineral-based drugs. Further chapters cover vitamins, food additives and excipients as well as xenobiotics and poisons. The book also explores the herbal approach to disease management and molecular pharmacognosy and introduces methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis of plant constituents. Phytochemicals are classified as primary (e.g. carbohydrates, lipids, amino acid derivations, etc.) or secondary (e.g. alkaloids, terpenes and terpenoids, phenolic compounds, glycosides, etc.) metabolites according to their metabolic route of origin, chemical structure and function. A wide variety of primary and secondary phytochemicals are present in medicinal plants, some of which are active phytomedicines and some of which are pharmaceutical excipients.

This volume, Plant Secondary Metabolites: Volume 1: Biological and Therapeutic Significance, presents important information on the curative and therapeutic roles of secondary metabolites that are present in different natural food groups. The book showcases the applications of herbal-based food group and also includes the effective utility of other plant-based food categories as well. In addition to the clinical role of secondary metabolites, other natural sources, such as micro-algae and bacterial cellulose, are also presented as efficacious sources of functional components.

This important volume commences with an overview of the modes of action of defensive secondary metabolites, followed by detailed surveys of chemical defense in marine ecosystems, the biochemistry of induced defense, plant-microbe interactions and medical applications. A chapter is also included covering biotechnological aspects of producing valuable secondary metabolites in plant cell and organ cultures. This is a comprehensive and fully updated new edition, edited by Professor Michael Wink and including contributions from many internationally acknowledged experts in the field.

Pengelly's user friendly text will encourage educators in medical science to consider using this material in the complementary medicine/nutraceuticals areas May I congratulate Andrew Pengelly for writing this text as it is going to be very popular with undergraduate students as well as more experienced readers.' D. Green, London Metropolitan University, UK This unique book explains in simple terms the commonly occurring chemical constituents of medicinal plants. The major classes of plant constituents such as phenols, terpenes and polysaccharides, are described both in terms of their chemical structures and their pharmacological activities. Identifying specific chemical compounds provides insights into traditional and clinical use of these herbs, as well as potential for adverse reactions. Features include: * Over 100 diagrams of chemical structures * References to original research studies and clinical trials * References to plants commonly used throughout Europe, North America and Australasia. Written by an experienced herbal practitioner, The Constituents of Medicinal Plants seriously challenges any suggestion that herbal medicine remains untested and unproven, including as it does hundreds of references to original research studies and trials. Designed as an undergraduate text, the first edition of this book became an essential desktop reference for health practitioners, lecturers, researchers, producers and anyone with an interest in how medicinal herbs work. This edition has been extensively revised to incorporate up-to-date research and additional sections, including an expanded introduction to plant molecular structures, and is destined to become a classic in the literature of herbal medicine.

This volume, Plant Secondary Metabolites: Volume 1: Biological and Therapeutic Significance, presents important information on the curative and therapeutic roles of secondary metabolites that are present in different natural food groups. The book showcases the applications of herbal-based food group and also includes the effective utility of other plant-based food categories as well. In addition to the clinical role of secondary metabolites, other natural sources, such as micro-algae and bacterial cellulose, are also presented as efficacious sources of functional components.