Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific

by Christophe Wiart

Overview

Drawing on the author's extensive personal experience, Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific provides comprehensive coverage of the medicinal plants of the region. Describing more than 300 compounds, the book discusses every important class of natural products while highlighting cutting-edge research and recent developments. With its broa

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781000654585
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	06/19/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Christophe Wiart was born in Saint Malo, France. He earned a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Rennes in 1996 and is currently an associate professor of pharmacognosy at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr. Wiart has been studying medicinal plants of the Pacific Rim for the last 10 years. His activities and accomplishments include patenting, conferences, plenary lectures, and the publication of several peer-reviewed research articles and academic books. Contact: [e-mail]

Table of Contents

Introduction. The Family Annonaceae. The Family Myristicaceae. The Family Lauraceae. The Family Piperaceae. The Family Aristolochiaceae. The Family Nympheaceae. The Family Menispermaceae. The Family Polygonaceae. The Family Myrsinaceae. The Family Ebenaceae. The Family Bombacaceae. The Family Elaeocarpaceae. Medicinal Plants The Family Capparaceae. The Family Flacourtiaceae. The Family Passifloraceae. The Family Cucurbitaceae. The Family Connaraceae. The Family Anisophylleaceae. The Family Rosaceae. The Family Thymeleaceae. The Family Melastomataceae. The Family Rhizophoraceae. The Family Olacaceae. The Family Icacinaceae. The Family Euphorbiaceae. The Family Sapindaceae. The Family Anacardiaceae. The Family Simaroubaceae. The Family Meliaceae. The Family Rutaceae. The Family Loganiaceae. The Family Gentianaceae. The Family Apocynaceae. The Family Asclepiadaceae. The Family Solanaceae. The Family Verbenaceae.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Stata Norton, PhD(University of Kansas Medical Center)
Description: This book contains brief descriptions and evaluations of some active ingredients and the medicinal uses of about 100 plants found in Asia, especially in countries on the Pacific Rim. The plants selected are some that have shown evidence, reported in the scientific literature, of containing medically active ingredients and that therefore may be sources of new therapeutic drugs.
Purpose: The stated purpose is to show the rich source of potential drugs in the estimated 6,000 plant species in Asia in which the pharmacologic activities of the chemicals in the plants have not been thoroughly tested experimentally. The author has selected plants for which there is published evidence that the plants contain ingredients that act in three therapeutic areas: as anti-inflammatory agents; as agents affecting the central nervous system; or as chemotherapeutic agents in neoplasia. This objective is met, given that the review is limited to a few of the many plant species in the region.
Audience: The author points out that the information available on the plants is enough only to suggest that further investigation of clinical potential is warranted and these plants may have potential as clinically useful drugs. Therefore the book is primarily directed at individuals involved in research on new types of chemical molecules for treating inflammatory conditions, central nervous system disorders, or cancers.
Features: A unique feature of the book is the emphasis on similar chemicals found in some plant families, such as the frequent production of anti-inflammatorysesquiterpenes by members of the family Asteraceae. Line drawings of characteristic plants and molecular structures of primary chemicals are presented. Within each of the three therapeutic areas, the plants are organized according to type of action: inhibitors of cytochrome oxidases, inhibitors of lipoxygenases, inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase for plants with anti-inflammatory actions, with similar organization by mechanism of action for the other two.
Assessment: The analysis of biochemical activities of plants by family and the line drawings of plants and their chemical components are aspects of herbal therapeutics that are not often brought together. Adequate references to the scientific literature are given for each plant. The text has been poorly edited for minor errors, but this does not affect the usefulness of the data.