Pharmacognosy: Importance and Drawbacks

Abstract

In many nations of the world, a great number of deaths and morbidity arising from illnesses are witnessed due to lack of basic health care. Phytotherapy has continued to play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of diseases (communicable and noncommunicable). Interestingly, more than 80% of the global populations now adopt phytotherapy as a basic source of maintaining good healthy conditions, owing to the pronounced side effects, nonavailability, and expensive nature of conventional treatment options. While this review looked at the prospects and downsides of phytomedicine as it relates to the national health care system, it established the fact that although a number of medicinal plants had been resourceful (effective) against a range of diseases, with few developed into drugs based on the available phytotherapeutics, quite a large number of them are yet to scale through clinical trials to determine their safety and efficacy. It is believed that until this is done, we hope phytomedicine to be adopted or integrated into the national health care system in many countries.

[Retracted] (5E,7E)‐4,5,6 Trihydroxy‐3‐(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydro‐2H‐pyran‐2‐ylheptadeca‐5,7‐dienoate from Euclea crispa (L.) Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth by Controlling Apoptotic and Metastatic Signaling Mechanisms

“…Several medicinal plants have been reported to exhibit a variety of pharmacological and/or life functions such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic, due to the presence of some active phytocompounds and compounds that possess aromatic hydroxylated rings [ 9 – 11 ]. The bioactive elements play an essential function in drug discovery programs in manufacturing medicine [ 12 – 14 ]. The plant-derived biomolecules are recognized as an attractive and promising approach and possess high value in biomedical research for the development of drugs against cancer [ 15 ].…”

A review of indigenous knowledge and ethnopharmacological significance of African Copaiba Balsam Tree, Daniellia oliveri (Fabaceae)

“…on Wistar strain rats was studied and various biochemical (alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, ALT, AST) and lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), HDL-c, triacylglycerol (TG), atherogenic index (AI)] parameters were checked. The study [ 92 ] submitted that the extract had no effect (p > 0.05) on the AI but showed increased (p < 0.05) level of TC (at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) and the heart's AST activity (50 and 100 mg/kg b.w.).…”

“…One major shortcoming of traditional medicine is the lack of therapeutic dosage [ 92 ], indicating the likelihood of abuse by the users due to excessive consumption. Therefore, understanding the safety profile of herbal medicine or formulation is very paramount [ 93 ] especially through clinical trials to unravel the possible adverse effects of different extracts [ 94 ].…”

Insights into the Mechanism of Action of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Seed Essential Oil in the Management of Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Using Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approaches

“…Literature information has continued to reveal that the abundant pharmacological potential elicited by medicinal plants is partly or most times a result of the endowed phytoconstituents [48,49]. The 15 identified SSEO phytocompounds with the subsequent passing of Lipinski's rule of five (drug likeliness) with no violation suggest them as important bioactive compounds of the plant's seeds by oral route administration.…”