Ancient civilization greatly depended on local flora and fauna for their survival and experimented with various berries, roots, leaves, minerals or animal parts to find out what effects they had and as a result, many crude drugs were observed by the local healer to have some medical use. As understanding of therapeutic benefits deepens and demands for natural products increased, previously serendipitous discoveries evolved into active searches for new medicines. At present 25 per cent of the modern medicines are developed from plants that were first used traditionally, and many synthetic drugs have also been obtained from natural precursors. The present volume of the book series, "Medicinal Plants: Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Therapeutics" contained as many as 29 review/ research articles contributed by the eminent scientists from across the world, some of which are as under: v Resveratrol: A Natural Polyphenol v Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Therapeutic Uses of Wrightia tinctoria v Genotoxicity, its Methods of Evaluation and the Significance v Vasodilatory Activity Induced by Natural Products v Scope of Chicory with Special Reference to its Medicinal Value v Role of Curcuminoids, in Disease Prevention and Health Maintenance v Multi-Targeted Approaches for Polygenic Disorders Using Medicinal Plants v Safety Assessment of Orthosiphon stamineus Benth v Plants having Potential in the Management of Hyperlipidemia v Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Alangium Sp. v In vitro Antisickling Activity of Anthocyanins Extracts from Morinda lucida v Antioxidant and Antihypertensive Investigation of Parinari curatellifolia v Clinical Evaluation of Anacardium occidentale v Effect of Emblica officinalis Diet in Streptozotocin Diabetic Mice The present volume, with its balanced approach will be a valuable, and an important research manual, that will stimulate interest and satisfy the need for further knowledge of this rapidly expanding and exciting discipline.
