Medicinal systems

Mother Nature still continues to be a resource of novel chemotypes and pharmacophores, and an impressive number of modem drugs have been isolated from natural sources, many based on their uses in traditional medicine systems. " To a large extent, the use of natural products in drug design represents the natural evolution of this old tradition. It has been extensively documented that the traditional medicine systems of many cultures worldwide are based on plants,for example in countries like China and India where plants have formed the basis for traditional systems of medicines. According to Kim and Park, natural... 

While the mode of action of microbial metabolites may differ between plants and medicinal systems, it is surprising how often the two are relatively identical. We now examine certain classes of compounds and note their mode of action in both plants and therapeutic systems. 

Throughout the ages, humans have relied on Nature to cater for their basic needs—not the least of which are medicines for the treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases. Plants, in particular, have formed the basis of sophisticated traditional medicine systems, with the earliest records, dating from around 2900-2600 BCE,1 documenting the uses of approximately 1000 plant-derived... 

The focus of this paper is to review and identify those psychoactive plant species of sub-Saharan Africa. The biological and cultural diversity of Africa is immense (there are over 2,000 languages represented in sub-Saharan Africa). However, these ancient medicinal systems, usually based on oral traditions, are poorly documented even to this day. In contrast. North Africa and the Middle East have a relatively well documented traditional medicine (12-14). The Babylonians, Assyrians and Sumerians recorded heibal remedies in cuneiform on clay tables as long ago as 4000 BC. Not only can we attribute the origins of civilization to North Africa and the Middle East but also possibly the most important psychoactive plant, Papaver somniferum (opium poppy), from which the first alkaloid and psychoactive chemical was isolated. Morphine was first isolated by the German pharmacist Sertuner in 1803 (15). 

As in Eastern medicine, Systems biology aims to understand the human organism from holistic view point, and to diagnose and treat illness with consideration of individual s genotypic and phenotypic variances and lifestyle characteristics. Asian doctors prescribe personalized (herbal) medicine for each patient. They do not prescribe one-fits-all type of medicine except for... 

The use of medicinal plants for the treatment of epilepsy and convulsive disorders dates back to prehistoric times. Several plants that were reputed to possess antiepileptic properties in different folklore cultures have been found to contain active ingredients when tested with modem bioassays for detecting anticonvulsive activities. This provides justification for their use in many different indigenous medicinal systems. The activity of many other plants however remains to be scientifically established. Several such plants have been listed in order to promote further research with the hope that better medicines may be developed for treatment of epilepsy in the future. 

Two of the best developed and most widely used traditional medicinal systems, which are both well documented and rich in concept and practice, are the various Indian and Chinese systems of medicines. Among traditional Indian systems of medicine, the ayurvedic system has been the most popular and best known in the West. Ayurveda literally means knowledge or science of life. The system is based primarily on three classic texts known as samhitas, which were written by Sushruta, Charaka, and Vaghata in the period between 100 B.c. and 100 a.d. Ayurvedic physiology also views bodily functions in terms of three... 

Professor Bhushan Patwardhan and his collaborators demonstrate the utility of botanical immunomodulators and chemoprotectants in cancer therapy. Much of this work has its genesis in the Indian medicine systems of ayurveda this turns pharmacology on its head. It starts with plant extracts that have been used extensively in medicine in Asia and identifies the active ingredients from a complex mixture of ingredients. There is considerable scientific debate and discussion about whether the active moieties exhibit their pharmacological action in tandem or singly. 

Volume 2 builds on the outstanding contributions by the authors of Volume 1. Drs. S. C. Taneja and G. N. Qazi provide a unique perspective on the therapeutic action of bioactive molecules in medicinal plants. Their group has several years of experience in prospecting natural products in plants and following up with the isolation, characterization and structure elucidation of natural products. The traditional medicinal systems such as Indian and Chinese and those used by African tribes are treasure houses of traditional wisdom, and with the help of modem scientific methods they will continue to be the basis of development of new therapeutic agents. These authors discuss comprehensively how this knowledge can be coupled with diversity-oriented synthesis to discover new therapeutic agents. 

Methods and considerations for safety evaluations that are outlined in the U.S. Institute of Medicine s (lOM) Framework for Evaluating the Safety of Dietary Supplements provided guidance in the literature collection and review processes that went into the creation of this text (lOM 2005). This lOM document also highlights the importance of using experts from a number of fields related to dietary supplements. Consistent with this advice, an advisory panel of qualified experts was assembled at the outset of this project. All members were selected for their extensive knowledge and experience in areas such as medicine, clinical herbalism, pharmacology, biochemistry, or traditional herbal medicine systems (e.g., traditional Chinese medicine or Ayurvedic medicine). When knowledge of a particular topic or botanical was not found in the Expert Advisory Council, the experience and opinions of outside experts were solicited. 

Other systems of medicine. The use of a systematized mixture of crude drugs is the basis of traditional Chinese medicine. This medical treatment system was subsequently introduced into both Korea and Japan. The system, especially the recipe of the crude drugs was changed, and now the traditional Chinese medicine system as applied in Japan is called Kampo Medicine, rather than traditional Chinese medicine, and uses many of the same plant materials. 

The traditional Chinese medicine system and various books regarding this medical system were also introduced into Japan with those crude drugs. Consequently, the main purpose ofjapanese pharmacognosy was to find which medicinal plant explained in the Chinese book was related which plant in Japan. This situation has actually continued for more than 1000 years. 

The dried thorn hooks of Uncaria sinensis, U rhynchophylla, and U. kawakamii (Rubiaceae) are known as Cho-Toh-Koh in the Chinese herbal medicine system in Japan, and have been used as a sedative for a long time. An ethanol extract of this crude drug provides a temporary hypotensive response in the rabbit (150mg/kg), with an increase in breathing rate and a decrease in arterial blood flow [1]. 

Withanolide-containing plants are widely used for hair care. Datura metel, or Datura, is a widely recommended remedy for the treatment of dandruff. Withania somnifera, also known as ashwagandha or Indian ginseng, is the most widely used withanolide-containing plant in the Ayurvedic medicinal system for... 

Aureusidin synthase (AmASl), 1889 Aurones, 1621, 1887, 1889 Australian ewes, 2417 Autolyzate, 978-979 Autooxidation, 2370 Autopsy, 2409 Autumnaline, 461-476 Auxins, 192, 1830, 2774, 3198, 3591, 4044 Avenalumin I, 1569 Avena sativa, 1569 Avicermiaceae, 1552 Axinellamines, 268 Axinohydantoin, 268 Axonal membrane, 4065 Axone regeneration, 3219 Ayahuasca, 125, 1452 Ayurvedic, 1278, 3960 formulations, 3327, 3328 medications, 1399 medicinal system, 3476... 

Ayurveda is the traditional medicinal system of India and is believed to have originated over six thousand years ago. It is a science that describes ways to remain healthy as well as methods to treat disease. The name itself means Knowledge (Veda) of Life (Ayu) . Although Ayurveda gives equal emphasis to diet and life-style, drugs (and among these, plants) form an important mainstay in the therapy [1],... 

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