Understanding Medicinal Plants Their Chemistry and Therapeutic Action

Understanding Medicinal Plants is a unique work designed to explain the chemical composition of healing herbs to people who are intimidated by chemistry. This beautifully illustrated, reader-friendly guide explores the molecules of medicinal plants and the pharmacology behind their actions on the human body. Understanding Medicinal Plants aims for the middle ground between a technical manual for highly trained individuals and a book for the general public that over-simplifies the material. It will be valuable to non-science majors, biology majors, interested scientists of different disciplines and practitioners and students of herbalism and complementary medicine.

Learn how medicinal plants work from the chemical level upwardUnderstanding Medicinal Plants: Their Chemistry and Therapeutic Action is designed to teach the chemical concepts necessary to understand the actions of medicinal plants to people who are intimidated by chemistry. This beautifully illustrated, accessibly written guide explores the molecules of medicinal plants and the pharmacology behind their actions on the human body. The book will be valuable to non-science majors, biology majors, interested scientists of different disciplines, and practitioners and students of herbalism and complementary medicine.Understanding Medicinal Plants covers the essentials, including: understanding the symbolism of chemical structure bonding—and predicting useful properties important plant compounds isolation and purification of plant molecules drug delivery and action in the human body the chemistry of antioxidants identification of plant molecules Interest in alternative medicine and herbal products has never been higher than it is now. Understanding Medicinal Plants aims for the middle ground between technical manuals for highly trained individuals and books for the general public that may oversimplify the material. This introductory work provides you with a wealth of suggested reading materials, tables, figures, and illustrations. Three case studies illustrate specific plant drugs and their molecular constituents. This resource also provides an extensive glossary for easy reference. In Understanding Medicinal Plants, you will find a lexicon of medicinally important chemical families found in plants to help you identify and understand the role of constituents such as: alkaloids flavonoids coumarins glycosides amino acids lignans tannins and many moreUnderstanding Medicinal Plants enriches your knowledge of the science behind herbalism and increases your savvy as a consumer of herbal products. This sourcebook will help you better understand the debates about the regulation of medicinal plants and related health care policy debates. With this book, you will be able to interpret media hype about medicinal plants with greater confidence.

Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Interpreting the Symbolism of Chemical Structures, or, Finding Your Way Around a Molecule The Basic Rules of Bonding What Do the Lines Mean? Recognizing the Functional Groups Naming Molecules Sameness: Molecular Formulas and Isomers Chapter 3. The Origins of Bonding and Molecular Properties Elements, Atoms, and the Periodic Table Electron Configurations: The Real Organizing Principle Bonding to Create Molecules Predicting Properties from Molecular Structure Chapter 4. A Structural Lexicon of Medicinally Important Chemical Families Found in Plants Compounds of Primary Metabolism Secondary Metabolites Chapter 5. Chemical Behavior and Its Application to Medicinal Molecules Isolation of Medicinally Active Substances Analysis and Identification of Medicinal Molecules Antioxidants and Reactive Oxygen Species: Chemical Reactions Affecting Health Chapter 6. Drug Delivery and Action Delivering Drug Molecules Where Drugs Act: Targets The Molecular Level of Action Chapter 7. Case Studies of Selected Plant Drugs Ayahuasca and the Central Nervous System Ginkgo and Brain Health Cancer Treatments from Plants: Interrupting the Cell Cycle Epilogue Notes Glossary Bibliography Index

Bryan Hanson, PhD, is the Julian Professor of Chemistry at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he has taught for seventeen years. His advanced education includes a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from California State University, Los Angeles, and a PhD in chemistry from UCLA with a focus on the total synthesis of natural products. After two years of postdoctoral work with Jim White at Oregon State University, he began teaching at DePauw in 1986. Professor Hanson's research interests are in the areas of medicinal plants, natural products, and chemical ecology. His primary teaching responsibilities are in organic chemistry, biochemistry, and a course intended for nonscientists called “Medicinal Plants for Poets.”