Utilisation and Management of Medicinal Plants Vol. 1

Medicinal plants have extensive past and present use in treatment of diverse diseases and serve as compounds of interest both in their natural form and as templates for synthetic modifications. According to an estimate of the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 80 per cent of the people in developing countries realy chiefly on traditional medicines for primary health care needs; a major portion of these involves the use of medicinal plants. The present book "Utilisation and Management of Medicinal Plants" encompass 21 research and review articles contributed by eminent researchers/scientists from various parts of the globe and covers the importance of scientific research on medicinal plants in the areas of botany, chemistry, biotechnology, toxicology and pharmacology. Following are some of the lead articles included in this book: v Biotechnological Interventions for Enhancing the Availability of High Value Medicinal Plants v Environmental Regulation of Secondary Metabolite Accumulation in Aromatic Crops v Search for Useful Substances in Papyrus Cyperus papyrus v Secondary Plant Products and their Biopotentials v Bioactive Compounds from Fungi v Approaches for Enhancing Yield of Artemisinin v Pieris brassicae as Laboratory of Synthesis v Bioprospecting: A Move from Land to the Seas v Medicinal and Aromatic Potentialities of Ocimums v Medicinal Properties of Mistletoe v Saffron: A High Value Crop v Some Potential Anthelminitic Herbal Drugs v Variations in Tannin and Oxalic acid content in Terminalia arjuna v Natural Sweetening Agents It is hoped that this book with wide spectrum of themes shall generate further interest and database for the benefit of academicians, researchers/scientists working on medicinal plants who shall find it very useful and indispensable in their relevant research pursuits.