The level of scientific and medical studies to establish the value of medicinal plants as effective treatments for prevalent diseases continue to grow. A wonderful study conducted by a team of researchers and published January 17th 2019 , Open Access Books (InterTech Open) (https://www.intechopen.com/books/pharmacognosy-medicinal-plants/medicinal-plants-for-treatment-of-prevalent-diseases), outlines some incredible information related to the use of medicinal plants to aid in the treatment of diseases.
You can jump to the link shown above if you have that burning desire to really digest the studies along with the references to types of herbs/plants evaluated but, let us grab one part of the paper which might entice you to read on further.
Traditional medicine is still recognized as the preferred primary health care system in many communities, with over 60% of the world’s population and about 80% in developing countries depending directly on medicinal plants for their medical purposes. This is due to a number of reasons including affordability, accessibility and low cost.
The use of plants to cure several kinds of human diseases has a long history. Various parts of plants such as leaf, stem, bark, root, etc. are being used to prevent, allay symptoms or revert abnormalities back to normal. Since the practice of “herbal remedies” does not adhere strictly to facts accrued using scientific approaches, orthodox medicine sees “herbal medicines” as an alternative medicine. However, most of the pharmaceutical products currently dispensed by physicians have a long history of use as herbal remedies, including opium, aspirin, digitalis and quinine. Modern medicine today utilizes active compounds isolated from higher plants, and about 80% of these active ingredients indicate a positive correlation between their modern therapeutic use and the traditional uses
The search for and use of drugs and dietary supplements obtained from plants have increased in recent years. Scientist such as pharmacologists, microbiologists, botanists, and phytochemists are scouring the Earth for phytochemicals and clues that could be developed into medicines for various diseases and treatment. This study therefore reviewed electronic database ( Scholar, SciFinder, PubMed, etc.) for medicinal plants that have potent activity in treating some prevalent and common ailments like malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, pneumonia and asthma.
MALARIA
Malaria is one of the world’s most important parasitic disease and a leading cause of death especially in developing countries . It is endemic in about 100 developing countries, leading to about 1.2 million estimated deaths each year in Africa , with pregnant women and children below 5 years being mostly affected . A wide range of medicinal plants is employed for the treatment of malaria, since majority of the people who get infected cannot afford the existing expensive orthodox medicines
The problem of resistance to existing antimalarial agents by parasites has necessitated the search for new and potent agents, and the focus of researchers is on natural products especially medicinal plants since active compounds like quinine and artemisinin were isolated from plants and have been lead compounds for antimalarial drug development.
While important research continues to isolate the active compounds in plants which have effect against prevalent diseases, we already know that previous research and aforementioned examples clearly demonstrate that plants and herbs have a positive influence as compounds suitable for treating various diseases.
Use of botanical materials, herbs, herbal remedies and medicinal herbal medicines is a complex area and the variety of products available are immense.
When considering use of any herbal preparation or alternative complementary therapy, it is very important to discuss first with your healthcare provider. Some botanical extracts do
interact with conventional medicines. Always speak to your healthcare provider if symptoms worsen or persist and discuss your interest to pursue other therapies in advance.
Be safe and stay healthy