PLS 480/580 - Medicinal Plants (Fall 2018)

"This kind of systematic work is exactly what is needed for people to help bridge traditional Ayurvedic practice with modern science." --Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel laureate, current president of the Royal Society and group leader at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, UK Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeial Plant Drugs: Expanded Therapeuticsis the first review of all the therapeutic sections of 456 plant drugs in the first six volumes of the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Itcovers pharmacognosy of classical Ayurvedic herbs, their chemical constituents, therapeutic uses, and doses on the basis of contemporary scientific literature. The book reviews the classical attributes, compounds, and textual references of Ayurvedic plant drugs and updates the pharmacopoeial attributes of Ayurvedic herbs and formulations to make them more industry-oriented and facilitate their implementation. Sanskrit terminology has been converted into English equivalents, and botanical names assigned to Ayurvedic herbs in the text have been reviewed in historical as well as contemporary contexts. This will assist those who are not conversant with Sanskrit or have found multiple names of the same herb in Ayurvedic reference works and in different regions of India. With these salient features, this book provides an added scientific edge to the new generation of Ayurvedic students, faculty members, researchers, and enterprising phytopharmaceutical scientists. In addition, the scientific temper of this resource will help unravel many of the intricacies of classical Ayurveda.

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 Worldrelates applications of plant extracts to the historical progress of civilization. It focuses on selected plants from around the world, connecting their stories and properties to the development of modern marvels such as medicinal compounds, nutrition products, beverages, perfumes and organic pigments. Each chapter describes a particular group of plant extracts from various perspectives, including their chemistry, interest and value to man and historical background. The ends of the chapters pose challenging questions. Introducing plants that are emerging into more prominent roles in human life and addressing current challenges, Botanical Miracles presents a fascinating point of entry to the chemistry of important natural products. It examines plants and their extracts through the key functional groups, building blocks and concepts of organic chemistry. This book provides, in a single source, information and learning opportunities of value to a wide range of individuals involved in the fields of chemistry, medicine, nutrition or cosmetics whether they be students, educators, researchers or those who simply wish to extend their horizons.

The Encyclopedia encompasses approximately 500 of the most commonly used ingredients, and covers the identification, processing, preparation, and manner of use for each. It is the only single-source reference devoted to the approximately 500 naturally derived ingredients currently included in a wide range of cosmetics, food items, and drugs.

Provides up-to-date data on over 800 of the world's most important medicinal plant species.

The Handbook of Medicinal Plants is divided into three main sections. The first section covers the use of herbal medicines throughout history in China, Australia, the Americas, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, emphasizing the need for future medicinal plant research. The second section discusses the latest technologies in production and breeding, crop improvement, farming, and plant research. The third section focuses on groundbreaking advances in the medicinal application of therapeutic herbs.

This work contains detailed monographs on 181 medicinal herbs. It provides answers to such questions as which herb should be used for a particular illness, what doses are needed, and whether we can rely on their authentication and quality. [Note: 2004 edition available at Arizona Health Sciences Library - WB 39 T258 2004A AHSL-Tucson (Reference).]

from Alternative Medicine Review, March, 2006 by Mario Roxas:
This text covers over 210 western plants within 100 distinct plant profiles, from Acacia to Yucca. Each profile is identified by what the author calls its "main common name." This is followed by the plant's Latin family name, its current Latin binomial, and any other common names. The profile is further broken down into segments such as description, distribution, chemistry, medicinal uses, indications, collection, preparation and dosage, and cautions.

The selection of plants studied in this treatise is based on its significance, and its representation of members of different taxonomic families as well as of different classes (and subclasses) of compounds. All the available data on the chemical compounds and the pharmacological studies on these plants/compounds have been incorporated. The plants are arranged by the type and nature of chemical compounds they contain. Secondary metabolites have been included in this volume due to their great therapeutic role. [Note: ebook also available.]

Medicinal Plants of the World is a comprehensive and scientifically accurate guide to the best-known and most important medicinal plants. The book includes descriptions of more than 300 medicinal plants and their close relatives. Each entry gives a short summary with a description of the plant, the geographical origin, therapeutic category, historical and modern uses, active ingredients, and pharmacological effects. More than 500 full-color photographs assist in the identification of the plants.