Though
remarkable success have been achieved in the discovery and development
of various drugs for the treatment and management of several ailments,
there is still need for more discoveries. This is due to the reason that
some of the drugs currently in use posseses one or more of the
following drawbacks (i) high toxicity level (ii) increase lose of
effectiveness or low efficacy (iii) costly or (iv) inaccessable. Herbs
have now become the main stream for drug discovery and development.
Conservative estimate have revealed that there are over 250,000 higher
plant species, and only a minute proportion have been screened
exhaustively for their possible therapeutic properties. Atleast, over
120 unique pharmacological substances derived from plants are currently
being used as drugs in various countries in the world. Apart from the
direct use of plant derivatives as therapeutic agents,
they can also serve as models for the design, synthesis or
semisynthesis of other therpeutic agents. In conclusion, herbs are a
reliable source for more discovery and development of new drugs. The
scientific community should therefore harness this resource by improving
research on it.
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SOURCE: PHARMATUTOR.ORG
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