This new edition of a popular book, eases access to organic chemistry by connecting it with the world of plants and their colours, fragrances and defensive mechanisms.

As the shortcomings of purely synthetic approaches to biochemical discovery and development are becoming more apparent, a renaissance of interest in the chemistry of natural products as sources for new compounds is occurring. A unique approach to natural products chemistry, Botanical Miracles: Chemistry of Plants That Changed the World relates appl

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 book explains the natural chemical compounds that determine the fascinating interactions between plants and insects providing a gentle and absorbing introduction to organic chemistry.

Aimed at advanced undergraduate and graduate students and researchers working with natural products, Professors Sunil and Bani Talapatra provide a highly accessible compilation describing all aspects of plant natural products. Beginning with a general introduction to set the context, the authors then go on to carefully detail nomenclature, occurrence, isolation, detection, structure elucidation (by both degradation and spectroscopic techniques) stereochemistry, conformation, synthesis, biosynthesis, biological activity and commercial applications of the most important natural products of plant origin. Each chapter also includes detailed references (with titles) and a list of recommended books for additional study making this outstanding treatise a useful resource for teachers of chemistry and researchers working in universities, research institutes and industry.

Learn how medicinal plants work from the chemical level upward Understanding Medicinal Plants: Their Chemistry and Therapeutic Action is designed to teach the chemical concepts necessary to understand the actions of medicinal plants to people who are intimidated by chemistry. This beautifully illustrated, accessibly written guide explores the molecules of medicinal plants and the pharmacology behind their actions on the human body. The book will be valuable to non-science majors, biology majors, interested scientists of different disciplines, and practitioners and students of herbalism and complementary medicine. Understanding Medicinal Plants covers the essentials, including: understanding the symbolism of chemical structure bonding—and predicting useful properties important plant compounds isolation and purification of plant molecules drug delivery and action in the human body the chemistry of antioxidants identification of plant molecules Interest in alternative medicine and herbal products has never been higher than it is now. Understanding Medicinal Plants aims for the middle ground between technical manuals for highly trained individuals and books for the general public that may oversimplify the material. This introductory work provides you with a wealth of suggested reading materials, tables, figures, and illustrations. Three case studies illustrate specific plant drugs and their molecular constituents. This resource also provides an extensive glossary for easy reference. In Understanding Medicinal Plants, you will find a lexicon of medicinally important chemical families found in plants to help you identify and understand the role of constituents such as: alkaloids flavonoids coumarins glycosides amino acids lignans tannins and many more Understanding Medicinal Plants enriches your knowledge of the science behind herbalism and increases your savvy as a consumer of herbal products. This sourcebook will help you better understand the debates about the regulation of medicinal plants and related health care policy debates. With this book, you will be able to interpret media hype about medicinal plants with greater confidence.