Still considered the definitive work on medicinal herbs and their uses after two decades, the Handbook of Medicinal Herbs has undergone a long-anticipated revision. In the second edition, world-renowned ethnobotanist James A. Duke provides up-to-date data on over 800 of the world's most important medicinal plant species. The book contains mo

Finalist for 2009 The Council on Botanical & Horticultural Libraries Literature Award!A Comprehensive Guide Addressing Safety, Efficacy, and Suitability About a quarter of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants and more than 1,400 varieties of tropical plants are being investigated as potential cures for cancer. Curare comes from

This book provides an up-to-date treatment of antioxidant and biocidal compounds mainly from Latin American plants. New antimicrobials, insecticides and antioxidants are compiled in a single source for the first time based on the research and knowledge of several internationally renowned research groups. This book is organized in three sections: Part I provides a general overview and perspectives on antioxidant, medicinal and biocidal plant compounds; Part II provides information on plant antioxidants isolated from a wide range of species; and Part III describes insecticidal, antimicrobial and other biocidal activities based on peptides, phytoecdysteroids, alkaloids, polyphenols, terpenoids and other allelochemicals.

Pharmacognosy is a term derived from the Greek words for drug (pharmakon) and knowledge (gnosis). It is a field of study within Chemistry focused on natural products isolated from different sources and their biological activities. Research on natural products began more than a hundred years ago and has continued up to now with a plethora of research groups discovering new ideas and novel active constituents. This book compiles the latest research in the field and will be of interest to scientists, researchers, and students.

This book presents the genetics and genomics of Jatropha, which is used for biofuel, and shows how plant genomics can be used to improve plant breeding. The utilization of plant biofuels is a promising solution to global issues such as the depletion of fossil fuels and resources and climate change. Jatropha curcas L. (jatropha) is a species of shrub belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. Native to Mesoamerica, it is now grown widely in tropical and subtropical areas in America, Africa and Asia. The seed oil of Jatropha is a suitable source for biodiesel or bio jet fuel, and since it is not edible and can grow in semi-arid lands unsuitable for the cultivation of food crops, its production does not compete with that of food to inflate its price. The characteristics of this promising biofuel plant, however, have not been fully exploited in terms of breeding, mainly because of the lack of information on its genetics and genomics. The structure of the whole genome of Jatropha is analyzed, providing insights into on the plant’s genetic system and accelerating the molecular breeding process.