Annotation The second volume of this book series on the modern practice of Chinese medicine continues with the focus on evidence-based TCM research. It is even more focused than the preceding one ? providing detailed information about the best sources of herbal supply required for research and drug development purposes. Herbal supply has always been a major concern for TCM researchers because it is difficult to ensure that the supply is of the best quality. Another highlight of the book are the special reviews on the state of Good Agricultural Practice

Quality Control and Evaluation of Herbal Drugs brings together current thinking and practices for evaluation of natural products and traditional medicines. The use of herbal medicine in therapeutics is on the rise in both developed and developing countries and this book facilitates the necessary development of quality standards for these medicines.This book elucidates on various challenges and opportunities for quality evaluation of herbal drugs with several integrated approaches including metabolomics, chemoprofiling, marker analysis, stability testing, good practices for manufacturing, clinical aspects, Ethnopharmacology and Ethnomedicine inspired drug development. Written by Prof. Pulok K Mukherjee, a leader in this field; the book highlights on various methods, techniques and approaches for evaluating the purity, quality, safety and efficacy of herbal drugs. Particular attention is paid to methods that assess these drugs' activity, the compounds responsible and their underlying mechanisms of action. The book describes the quality control parameters followed in India and other countries, including Japan, China, Bangladesh, and other Asian countries, as well as the regulatory profiles of the European Union and North America. This book will be useful in bio-prospecting of natural products and traditional medicine-inspired drug discovery and development. - Provides new information on the research and development of natural remedies - essential reading on the study and use of natural resources for preventative or healing purposes - Brings together current thinking and practices in quality control and standardization of herbal drugs highlighting several integrated approaches for metabolomics, chemo-profiling and marker analysis - Aids in developing knowledge of various techniques including macroscopy, microscopy, HPTLC, HPLC, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS etc. with the development of integrated methods for evaluation of botanicals used in traditional medicine - Assessment of herbal drugs through bio-analytical techniques, bioassay guided isolation, enzyme inhibition, pharmacological, microbiological, antiviral assays and safety related quality issues - References global organizations, such as the WHO, USFDA, CDSCO, AYUSH, TCM and others to serve as a comprehensive document for enforcement agencies, NGOs and regulatory authorities

The second volume of this book series on the modern practice of Chinese medicine continues with the focus on evidence-based TCM research. It is focused on detailed information about the best sources of herbal supply and its quality control required for research and drug development purposes. Herbal quality has always been a major concern for TCM researchers because it is difficult to know which is of the best quality. Some other popular topics are also entertained.

Natural products are the most successful source of drugs. Of the 877 small-molecule new chemical entities introduced between 1981 and 2002, roughly half were natural products, semi-synthetic natural product analogues or natural mimics. Chinese herbs (traditional Chinese medicines, TCMs) have been used for prevention and treatment of diseases for thousands years. It has been attracting intensive attention in the trends of back to nature. As herbal medicines, the conditions of growth, harvest time, process and storage etc. will undoubtedly affect the presence and concentration of the bioactive constituents, thus affecting their quality and efficacy. Up to date, there are few books focussing on the relationship, which is the bridge between TCM and modern medical science, of traditional clinic uses, pharmacological activities and quality control of Chinese herbs. Unfortunately, bioactive compounds in Chinese herbs are usually not or only partially known. Actually, the active compounds considered in Chinese herbs may be different according to their clinical indication. In addition, it is considered that the curative effect of Chinese herbs is an integrative result of a number of bioactive compounds. Therefore, how to control the quality is a big problem. We would like to discuss the quality control based on their traditional clinical uses and pharmacological activities in this book, which is the fundamental step towards developing and modernising such products into evidence based medicines. It will also help the peoples to understand TCMs in modern scientific angles. This book is designed primarily as a textbook for or adjunct to course in herbal remedies, food safety or quality control of herbs. It is also a professional reference whom is in the area of drug discovery, pharmaceutical analysis and food chemistry.

The global popularity of herbal supplements and the promise they hold in treating various disease states has caused an unprecedented interest in understanding the molecular basis of the biological activity of traditional remedies. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects focuses on presenting current scientific evidence of biomolecular ef