Medicinal plants

About: Medicinal plants is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3816 publications have been published within this topic receiving 108681 citations. The topic is also known as: medicinal herbs & medicinal plants.

Medicinal Plants and PGPR: A New Frontier for Phytochemicals

Abstract: Plants are a reservoir of biologically active compounds with therapeutic properties and have been used worldwide for the treatment of various ailments. Successful cultivation of medicinal plants depends on biotic and abiotic factors which can modulate the composition of secondary metabolites and essential oil, and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides should be avoided. Innovative biotechnological approaches such as the use of root-associated beneficial microbes which are able to promote plant growth, nutrient uptake, and protect plants against various soilborne pathogens can help plants to adapt to a number of environmental stresses and have vital importance in medicinal plant research. In this review, we examine plant–microbe interactions with medicinal plants and their functional characteristics. We also discuss the use of plant-associated beneficial microorganisms to enhance the levels of phytochemicals.

Herbs in American Fields: A Horticultural Perspective of Herb and Medicinal Plant Production in the United States, 1903 to 2003

Abstract: Herbs, plants that represent a broad group of aromatic and medicinal species, are relatively minor horticultural crops in the U.S. compared with other garden and field species. Yet, human societies have developed an intimate relationship with herbs, making these plants more important than mere acreage or crop production reports would indicate. Anyone doubting the significance of these plants need only to think of an apple pie without cinnamon, a pizza without oregano, a headache without aspirin, or a childhood leukemia patient without vincristine to appreciate the ways in which herbs influence the quality of life, providing flavorings, medicines, fragrances, and a host of other substances that delight the senses and cure aliments. Herbs are ornamentals for gardens and landscapes and reservoirs of chemicals to calm and enhance the human spirit. Herbs and herb extracts are a collection of flavorings for our foods and beverages and pharmaceuticals for treatment of our afflictions. Estimates suggest that 75% of the world∑ s population relies on plant-based medicines for primary healthcare and that populations using pharmaceutical drugs obtain about 120 prescription drugs from higher plants (Abelson, 1990). Without herbs and medicinal plants humans would likely exist in a much-reduced state. Over the past 100 years, herb production in the U.S. has varied considerably, following medical and culinary trends within American society. Generally, commercial production of herbs was strong from 1903 to 1939, declined from 1940 to 1969, and increased from 1970 to today. These changes were influenced by several factors, including the need for plants as medicines, the development of organic chemistry, shifts in population demographics, searches for alternative farm crops, changes in food preferences, activities of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), concern for plant diversity, and passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. The total crop land currently devoted to commercial production of herbs and medicinal plants in the U.S. is about 187,000 acres, relatively small compared with crops such as popcorn (337,000 acres), tomatoes (414,000 acres), or peanuts (1,352,000 acres) (USDA, 1999). Because herbs are a minor horticultural crop in the U.S., relatively little research has been done on the production and protection of herbs during the past 100 years and only a minimal amount of production and trade data have been recorded. A WELL-ROOTED BEGINNING: 1903–1939

26 – Antioxidants in Herbs: Polyphenols

Abstract: Publisher Summary The herbs discussed in this chapter are medicinal plants of mild activity. They cover a wide range of plants of various origins, applicable to both medicine and food; they exclude those of acute toxicity. The name “herb” is interpreted in several ways. The “herb” in Japan often means some plant rich in aroma, mostly introduced via Europe, and used for perfume and cooking, differentiating it from the other medicinal plants. However, “medicinal plants” comprise, in addition to those of mild effects usable for home treatment, those with acute toxicity, such as aconitum, poppy, and digitalis. Among the most widely and abundantly distributed antioxidant components in this type of herb are a variety of phenolic compounds represented by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), α-tocopherol, and sesaminol (a lignan), although there are many other antioxidants in herbs. The main subjects of this chapter are polyphenols of numerous chemical structures contained in herbs.