Introduction to Medicinal Plant Safety and Efficacy

The utilization of herb-based products to prevent/treat diseases is a therapeutic modality that has stood the test of long history of use and has played important roles in the development of conventional medicine. Indeed, many of the currently utilized pharmacological classes of drugs include a phytochemical prototype. Aspirin, atropine, codeine, ephedrine, digoxin, L-dopa, morphine, quinine, reserpine, taxol, and tubocurarine are a few examples of drugs, which were originally discovered through the study of medicinal plants and traditional knowledge of indigenous people. Black seeds, garlic, ginseng, ginger, ginkgo, olive oil, pomegranate, milk thistle, and St. John’s wort are a few examples of medicinal plants, which are gaining popularity among modern physicians and researcher, and this trend is likely to continue partly due to high cost involved in the development of patentable synthetic drugs. There is growing evidence to show that pharmacological effects of medicinal plants are potentiated through synergistic mechanisms and/or side effect-neutralizing combinations. Currently, there is a revival of interest in herbal medicine-based remedies at a worldwide level, and the conventional medicine is now beginning to accept the use of medicinal plants and their products once they are scientifically validated. Therefore, a teamwork among ethnobotanists, ethnopharmacologists, physicians, and chemists is essential for the fruitful outcome on medicinal plants research. This introductory chapter will focus on efficacy and safety of commonly used medicinal plants and their active compounds.