Phytochemical Constituents of Medicinal Plant

Description

Medicinal plants and herbal preparations are gaining renowned interest in scientific communities nowadays due to their reliable pharmacological actions and affordability to common people which makes them effective in control of various diseases. Attempts have been made to include all aspects of medicinal plants. To this end chapters contain complete information on history, isolation and characterisation of active principles, transformation of medicinal system, medicinal plants widelly known for their curative effects on certain diseases, export of medicinal plants and phytochemicals, suggestions for improvement of medicinal crop industry, etc. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring and biologically active plant compounds that have potential disease inhibiting capabilities. These phytochemicals are known to combat diseases due to their antioxidant effect. As a way of responding to environmental stress, many plants produce antioxidant compounds such as the polyphenolics. On the other hand, antioxidants are phytochemicals that mop up and neutralize free radicals, quenching singlet, and triplet oxygen or inducing expression of peroxides and other toxic metabollites. Medicinal plants and herbal preparations are gaining renowned interest in scientific communities nowadays due to their relliable pharmacological actions and affordability to common people which makes them effective in control of various diseases. Polygonum minus (Polygonaceae) locally known as kesum is an aromatic plant commonly used in Mallay delicacies. The plant is having potential applications due to its high volatile oil constituents in perfumes and powerful antioxidant activity. A knowledge of the ethno-medicinal information and chemical constituents of plant is desirable not only for discovery of therapeutic agents but also because such information are of great vallue in disclosing a new source for cost effective phyto-chemicalls for the synthesis of chemical substances and for discovering the actual significance of ethno-medicinal remedies.