Medicinal Plants: The Rising Strategy for Synthesis of Modern Medicine

Abstract

The knowledge of the medicinal properties of the plants is rooted back in the cultural transmission of historic traditions, and beliefs of the inhabitants of a given geographical area, and in the ancient texts, literature such as Ebers Papyrus, De Materia Medica. The ethnic communities such as Bhotiya residing in the Byans valley of West Himalaya, India; Chin indigenous group of Myanmar still customize their herbal formulations from different plant parts depending upon the types of disease for disease prevention and treatment. However, with the change in consumer behavior, the pharmaceutical industries are gaining interest in the formulation of modern medicines based upon natural plant extracts, or the isolated bioactive compounds.