Herbal Medicine

The past decade has witnessed a tremendous resurgence in the interest and use of medicinal plant products.Medicinal plants are various plants used in herbalism and thought by some to have medicinal properties. Few plants or their phytochemical constituents have been proven to have medicinal effects by rigorous science or have been approved by regulatory agencies such as the United States Food and Drug Administration or European Food Safety Authority.The articles in this category can be about traditional healing uses of plants, allopathic medicines derived from plants, and pharmacological research results about a plant. Medicinal plants have played an essential role in the development of human culture, religions and different ceremonies. It also finds application in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural and food industry. The use of the medicinal herbs for curing disease has been documented in history of all civilizations. Man in the pre-historic era was probably not aware about the health hazards associated with irrational therapy. With the onset of research in medicine, it was concluded that plants contain active principles, which are responsible, for curative action of the herbs.

Before onset of synthetic era, man was completely dependent on medicinal herbs for prevention and treatment of diseases. With introduction of scientific procedures the researchers, were able to understand about toxic principles present in the green flora. The scientists isolated active constituents of the medicinal herbs and after testing some were found to be therapeutically active. Aconitine, Atisine, Lobeline, Nicotine, Strychnine, Digoxin, Atropine, Morphine are some common examples. Medicinal plants used as natural medicines. This practice has existed since prehistoric times. There are three ways in which plants have been found useful in medicine. First, they may be used directly as teas or in other extracted forms for their natural chemical constituents. Second, they may be used as agents in the synthesis of drugs. Finally, the organic molecules found in plants may be used as models for synthetic drugs.

Significance of the Study:

Studying medicinal plants helps to understand the plant toxicity and protect human and animals from natural poisons.We will also know what plants can be cured.

Significance of Medicinal Plants to Human Being:

People has supported biological activities of some medicinal herbs. Cancer is such a segment where researchers are expecting new molecules from herbs that can provide us with tools for fighting this dreaded disease. Allamanda cathratica [allamandin], Elephatopus elatus [elephantpoin], Helenium autmnale [helenalin] Vernonia hymenlepis, Heliotropium indicum [Indicine-N-oxide], Daphne mezereum (mezerien) and Stereospermum suaveolans [laphacol] are medicinal plants that have shown significant tumor inhibiting effect.Many of the modern medicines are produced indirectly from medicinal plants, for example aspirin. Plants are directly used as medicines by a majority of cultures around the world, for example Chinese medicine and Indian medicine.

Many food crops have medicinal effects, for example garlic,malunggay ,etc. Cultivation of medicinal plants protect biological diversity, for example metabolic engineering of plants. The plant is a biosynthetic laboratory, not only for chemical compounds, but also a multitude of compounds like glycosides, alkaloids etc. These exert physiological and therapeutic effect. The compounds that are responsible for medicinal property of the drug are usually secondary metabolites. A systematic study of a crude drug embraces through consideration of primary and secondary metabolites derived as a result of plant metabolism. The plant material is subjected to phytochemical screening for the detection of various plant constituents.

Defenition of Terms

Medicinal plants are various plants used in herbalism and thought by some to have medicinal properties.

Flora(flôr)Plural floras or florae (flôr) = The bacteria and other microorganisms that normally inhabit a bodily organ or part, such as the intestine.

Herbal medicine (or “herbalism”) is the study and use of medicinal properties of plants. The scope of herbal medicine is sometimes extended to include fungal and bee products, as well as minerals, shells and certain animal parts.

Pharmacognosy = is the study of all medicines that are derived from natural sources.

Ethnobotany (from “ethnology” — study of culture[1] and “botany” — study of plants) is the study of traditional human uses of plants) is recognized as an effective way to discover future medicines. Aconitine = a toxin derived from some of the Aconitum genus plants.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this researchis to know what plants can be helpul.

This chapter includes the review of foreign and local related literatures, which is relevant to the effectiveness of herbal medicines as multivitamins. The appeal of herbal medicine to people caught the researchers’ in sights to have further review about this matter.

Any place in the world would know that herbal medicine is. Perhaps, many people have different perceptions about these herbal medicines. Many might doubt its effectiveness and other might not. The increasing population of people using these herbal medicine might tell how effective or how ineffective these herbal medicines are. And in this chapter, the reaseracher will be viewing different of herbal medicine and multivitamins. Foreign Literature:

For thousands of years, plants have played a significant role in maintaining human health and improving the quality of human life. Herbs have been used as food and for medicinal purposes. According ti the sardesal’s herbal medicines: poison or potions, about 80% of world’s population relies on traditional medicine for their primary care needs and most of this therapy involves the use of plant extracts or their active components.1

There are many reasons why people are seeking other alternatives for their health needs. One is because many people perceive natural products to be healthier than manufactured drugs. Also, there is dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. Patients feel that their doctors do not listen to or respect cultural beliefs and traditions, are not knowledgeable or willing to discuss alternative therapies and focus on curing the disease ro condition more than the patient. Additionally, many patients who have chronic or incurable disease such as diabetes, arthritis or depression often believe that conventional medicine has failed them.