Advances in Herbal Medicine and Holistic Medical Practice

Drugs from Natural Sources

Most of the drugs are derived from natural products found in sources including bacteria, plants and fungi as the discovery of these drugs. Drug invention from medicinal plants needs a multidisciplinary approach integrating botanical, biochemical, phytochemical, bioassay-guided and combinatorial chemistry fractionation approaches. Many plants are used as sources of pharmaceuticals and as ingredients of traditional medicines and are of value in new drug discovery. Artemisinin, camptothecin and taxol are examples of natural products which are undergoing clinical and commercial development.