Medicinal plants: Future source of new drugs

Abstract

India has a long history and strong base for Ayurveda, which is the traditional herbal medical system. Herbal plants play an important role in preventing and treating of human diseases. People have been using plants as a traditional medicine for thousand years ago. Plants have been associated with the development of human civilization around the whole world. However, plants are considered as rich sources of phytochemical ingredients which enable to have medicinal value. Medicinal plants are a potential source for the development of new herbal drugs. In the 21st century, the pharmacological effects of medicinal plants have been considered as a promising future drug/medicine for the management of health care. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest to rediscover medicinal plants as a source of potential drug candidate. Therefore, the aim of the present review is to understand the knowledge of the medicinal plants as a future source of herbal drugs.