Variously defined by its practitioners, phytotherapies include herbal therapies, treatments used by indigenous peoples around the world, and alternative medicines to classical western drugs. Despite an increasing trend toward the use of phytotherapies for chemoprevention and management of disease in healthcare, the published work about their efficacy and safety is scattered – and scientists need to understand these key issues along with regulatory aspects of phytotherpeutic agents. A number of herbs are likely to cause adverse effects if not properly standardized in clinical trials.

Covering fundamentals and new developments in phytotherapy, this book combines pharmaceutical sciences and chemistry – including herbal medicine clinical trials, specific applications of phytomedicine, successful case studies, and international regulatory perspectives that are essential for research and development of phytotherapeutics.

The book discusses a wide range of topics and focuses on the clinical aspect of phytotherapeutic agents. It describes the major groups of phytotherapeutics, scientific and pharmacological basis for efficacy, active components and ingredients, the metabolism and interactions of these drugs, and future perspectives on phytotherapeutics. In addition, chapters deal with international regulatory aspects and crucial topics for proper clinical trials – analytical challenges for quality control, examples of clinical trials, and drug delivery and formulation issues. Specific types of regional phytomedicines feature alongside those used for different applications like cellular drug targets or chemoprevention. Chapters also deal with phytotherapies for major diseases like cancer, liver disorders, inflammation, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

In offering such a thorough collection of information on phytotherapies, this unique book helps practicing scientists and medical and pharmaceutical science researchers understand the fundamentals and most effective application of phytotherapeutic agents.