Ethnobotany and the Search for New Drugs

About this book

Deals with one of the key issues in ethnobotany - the fact that some of the most potent drugs in Western medicine are derived from plants, yet are obtained from relatively few species, usually with collaboration with the indigenous people who possess the relevant knowledge. With case studies from Central and South America, Africa and India.

Contents

Partial table of contents: Ethnobotany, Drug Development and Biodiversity Conservation--Exploring the Linkages (M. Balick). The Ethnobotanical Approach to Drug Discovery: Strengths and Limitations (P. Cox). Basic, Quantitative and Experimental Research Phases of Future Ethnobotany with Reference to the Medicinal Plants of South America (W. Lewis & M. Elvin-Lewis). Ethnopharmacological Search for Antiviral Compounds: Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders by Kayap? Medical Specialists (E. Elisabetsky & D. Posey). Natural Product Chemistry in North-Eastern Brazil (A. Craveiro, et al.). African Medicinal Plants in the Search for New Drugs Based on Ethnobotanical Leads (M. Iwu). Two Decades of Mexican Ethnobotany and Research on Plant-Derived Drugs (X. Lozoya). Ethnobotany and Intellectual Property Rights (J. Barton). Indexes.

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