Journal of
Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy

  • Abbreviation: J. Pharmacognosy Phytother.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2502
  • DOI: 10.5897/JPP
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 234

Review

Phytomedicine: An ancient approach turning into future potential source of therapeutics

Mukeshwar Pandey1, Mousumi Debnath1*, Shobit Gupta2 and Surender K. Chikara2
1Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre , Sitapura, Tonk Road, Jaipur 302022, India. 2Xcelris Labs Ltd, Sydney House, Premchandra Nagar Road, Bodakdev, Ahmadabad 380054, India.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 25 March 2011
  •  Published: 31 March 2011

Abstract

Phytomedicine obtained from herbal sources are in great demand in the developed world as they are able to cure many infectious diseases. These plant based drugs provide outstanding contribution to modern therapeutics. The natural medicine are attracting renewed attention from both practical and scientific view points, but the mode of action of folk herbal medicines and related products from nature is even more complex than mechanistic clarification of a single bioactive factor. They have proved their efficacy for primary health care because of their safety and lesser side effects. They also offer therapeutics for age-related disorders like memory loss, osteoporosis, immune disorders, etc. The new-found popularity is due to their almost miraculous success with cases which were given up as hopeless by the allopathic doctors as their side-effect free treatment. The integration of phytomedicine into the health system should be developed in such a way to bring harmony between the traditional and modern system of health care with minimum threat to each other. The present review deals with impact and present scenario of phytomedicine in the society.

 

Key words: Phytomedicine, herbal medicine, medicinal plant, metabolomics.