Advances in Natural Products: Importance in Health and Economy

Natural Products, including plants, animals and minerals have been the basis of treatment of human diseases and have been exploited for human use for thousands of years. These have been the most important sources of drugs and drug leads in history, underlined by the fact that 61 per cent of all new chemical entities introduced worldwide as drugs during 1981-2002 can be traced to or were inspired by natural products. The developing world is performing extensive work in identifying enormous natural resources which can be exploited to produce herbal medicines for the treatment of deadly ailments. This publication provides a fascinating view on the recent developments in natural products research and related fields through a collection of 25 selected papers discussed during the International Workshop on "Natural products, drugs, Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals for the benefit of Mankind’ held in Karachi, Pakistan during 10-19 February, 2006. The volume covers scientific studies, developmental approaches and status of different countries in the area of natural products and herbal medicines. The material presented herein would surely serve as a valuable reference material for the professionals and the persons who are actively involved in research and application of natural products as drugs, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals.