Human and Veterinary Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Medicinal plants are defined as those used for human and veterinary application in traditional medicines, galenicals and herbal tisanes, phyto-pharmaceuticals, new drugs, intermediates for drug manufacture, industrial and pharmaceutical auxiliary products, and for health foods. The efficacy of many plants currently used in traditional herbal medicine are often lacking in reliable clinical evidence. Other plants formerly regarded as official, i.e. recognised and listed in national pharmacopoeia, have either been superseded by other products or, in the light of research, found wanting and discarded. Finally, there are those plants or their chemical analogues that are currently under investigation to provide new medically proven pharmaceutical products.