Fundamentals of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, 4th Edition

Pharmacognosy, the science of nature-derived drugs, pharmaceuticals, and poisons, played a crucial role in the development of modern medicine, and now has an equally important place in healthcare all over the world. This wide scope ranges from traditional medicine systems and herbal and nutritional therapies, the preparation and use of highly standardised and clinically tested herbal medicines, to the production of potent drugs used only in a purified form. Natural sources mainly focus on plants, fungi and algae, but drug discovery of novel compounds and structures includes bacteria and even marine animals.

Fundamentals of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy is a landmark textbook that covers this spectrum of medicinal plant use. Written by leading experts in this field, this book takes the reader through the history, identification, and quality assurance of plant-based medicines to their therapeutic properties, safety, and compatibility and interaction with prescribed drugs.

Aimed at students of all healthcare professions, including pharmacy, medicine, nursing and complementary therapies, the comprehensively updated information in this textbook is also relevant to those companies and organisations concerned with the regulation and testing of herbal medicines (phytomedicines), other natural health products, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements.

Antimicrobial natural products: as antibiotics and antiseptics, and their potential as bacterial resistance modifiers

• Anticancer natural products: scope now includes their role in chemoprevention and associated anti-inflammatory mechanisms
• New chapter on pharmacovigilance for herbal medicines and related products
• Quality assurance and pharmacopoeial methods extended, with many new figures and examples
• Plant medicines of recent scientific interest (popularity, or notoriety) added throughout

Edited by Michael Heinrich, Dr rer nat habil MA(WSU) Dipl. Biol. FLS, Professor and Head of Centre for Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of London, UK; Joanne Barnes, BPharm PhD MRPharmS FLS, Associate Professor in Herbal Medicines, School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, New Zealand; José Prieto-Garcia, Lecturer in Pharmacognosy, UCL School of Pharmacy, London, UK; Simon Gibbons, BSc MRSC CChem PhD FLS, Professor of Natural Product Chemistry at the University of East Anglia School of Pharmacy UK Simon Gibbons, BSc MRSC CChem PhD FLS, Professor of Natural Product Chemistry at the University of East Anglia School of Pharmacy UK; Elizabeth M. Williamson, BSc(Pharm) PhD MRPharmS FLS, Professor of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, UK; Editor-in-chief of Phytotherapy Research and Member of the Herbal Drugs Committees for The British Pharmacopoeia and The European Pharmacopoeia Professor of Pharmacy and Director of Pharmacy Practice