Asian Journal
Of Traditional Medicines

Abstract: A number of medicinal plants have been subjected to detailed chemical investigations and this has led to the isolation of pure bioactive molecules which have been pharmacologically evaluated. As a result, new drugs have been discovered, along with new applications. These bioactive molecules are used as therapeutic agents, novel starting materials and new reagents for molecular biology research. At present, there are 125 clinically useful drugs of known constitution, which have been isolated from about 100 species of higher plants. It has been estimated that about 5000 plant species have been studied in detail as possible sources of new drugs. The production of plant-based drugs in bulk is now an important challenge for the pharmaceutical industry.

Key words: plant natural products, drugs